Twisted Blood
by XZeePoisonousOneX
Summary: Alucard POV. COMPLETE.A new threat emerges,everything goes silent, alucard gets bored and more agitated, a handy little helper appears together they fight as monsters- but could she jeopardise everything that Hellsing and the world has achieved.vol 2 soon
1. Red

**Twisted Blood**

A/N: Just to say I"ve had this idea for quite a while now, toyed with it tirelessly and finally decided to sit my arse down and write it. I"m writing this in the ga-lorious character of Alucard, which is actually quite hard, but me loves zee challenge! Tell me if it is too...unAlucardish and I will try to alter it. The majority of the time it will be Alucard's POV but occasionally it will swap- in those cases the name of the POV will be under the chapter.

Anyway, enjoy! I've tried to keep the characters in character (well, duh!) as much as possible. Criticism of a constructive nature is well received and reviews are like candy to me, sweet, beautiful and make me hyper and also make my day :D

And a thank you to my beta : Cannot Fathom a PenName- or Marie. (thank youuuu!) SO MUCH

**Disclaimer:** The stories featured here in _twisted blood _contain characters created and owned by Kouta Hirano, Dark Horse, satelight and geneon. No profit is being made from the display of this fanfiction and no infringement is intended. The writings featured in this work are the creative works of me and must not be published anywhere else without the my permission beforehand. I maintain that the works are based upon Hirano's work, but certain characters are my own, I am but warping the original characters created by Kouta to my own satisfaction. (Is that a good enough disclaimer?)

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Chapter 1

Alucard

Is boredom an emotion? Or is boredom an action?

If one is bored usually it is because you are not doing anything, so boredom cannot be an action. Though emotions- other than rage and all the other negative emotions that seem to consume and warp humans--are inconceivable to me now. I am a monster. Monsters do not feel emotions. But, if boredom was an emotion then surely I must not be completely monstrous as I felt that emotion insufferably and almost intolerably at that point in time. More so than I usually did, for when you have eternity, there is not much that you haven't accomplished to vanquish your boredom by now.

Sitting in my high-backed chair, swishing a glass of wine in one hand while tapping my fingers against the arm of my chair restlessly with the other, was the only remotely interesting thing I had done in days, well, nights, really. It seemed that freaks were hiding, from what? I didn"t know. Certainly not the police girl. For how long? I most certainly hoped that it would be their last evening of hide-and-seek, as that game had grown tedious long ago. A children's game, and I certainly was not a child.

Finally, I'd had enough; I drained the glass and strode through my chambers and into the upstairs kitchen. Walter stood slightly hunched over a cup of tea, which he tended to ever-so carefully for our master. Something must have upset Sir Integra, she only drank Camomile tea when she needed something to pacify her emotions; perhaps the quiet nights had unnerved her? "Good evening, Alucard." Walter carried on to making the tea and finally turned, tray poised on his fingertips professionally. He'd had many years of practice.

"Good evening, Walter. Camomile tea? Has Integra received some upsetting news?" I voiced my previous thoughts.

"After this quiet spell, any news is bad news; could mean an involuntary slip-up on their part. Or, perhaps, the build-up to something rather...for lack of a better word, chaotic." I smiled.

"Chaotic doesn"t sound all too bad." I laughed quietly.

"Depending on who is at the receiving end." Walter added, "Now, if you"ll excuse me-" He reached the door turned to take the tea to Integra. He spun around again, "Oh, Seras and the captain were looking for you."

"Police girl?" I asked interest heightening, "_And _the captain?"

"About the recent attacks in Merrow." Walter exited the kitchen almost soundlessly, surprisingly for a human.

Seras and the Captain were in the barracks, it seemed that a couple nights of almost no action had induced sloth, not exactly professional. "Police Girl, you were looking for me?" Seras and the Captain sat at a table talking in hushed tones, "And since when does James Bond have anything to do with irresponsible and vile freaks?" Seras smiled sheepishly, the captain grinned and scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Just having a wind-down, Alucard, how are you this fine evening?" _He"s just pissy 'cause he ain't had any action for a while. _Pip's thoughts rang into my head, I smiled inwardly.

"Pissy or not, your attitude to your work is incredibly unprofessional, perhaps Sir Integra should dock your pay?" The mercenary's eye narrowed slightly.

"So..." Seras started, attempting to break the tension, "Merrow- who would of thought it, eh? Nice, snobby, upper-class people being attacked by vampires- why would they deserve such a thing?" She asked sarcastically.

"How many are there?"

"Three or four, we're guessing three male one female. They sound like a group that have been together for a few years...they plan- to an extent- and then maim. They go for families." The Captain answered, scratching at the skin around his eye-patch.

"Well, at least they have the courtesy not to split them up." Seras spat.

Pip continued, "The bodies of the families were discovered at noon, all family members were tortured and then killed-not just to settle their hunger. I wouldn't mind sending these three to hell." The Captain finished, hate resonating off of him in waves.

"Are we going to sit around all evening, Police Girl?" I asked after she showed no signs of getting ready for a hunt. She blinked, recognition hit and she stood up, clicking her heels together, "No, Master." She set about collecting her weapons.

It took the mercenaries a few minutes to pinpoint the freaks, the dastardly quartet staking-out a "modest" four-bedroom house belonging to three children and their parents. Seras twitched restlessly, _To kill children- no, not kill, torment and torture- is...it"s...repulsive! I mean, if they were gonna fight someone they could at least make it a little fair and go for fully grown human adults! Children stand no chance! _Her mind plagued with anger and disgust, though I would have thought she"d get used to it after a while. She should've known by then that freaks were not honorable, nor were they fair, they were despicable fiends with nothing but wanton madness and chaos on their minds--they could not even be considered as monsters! At least my hunger for madness was not mediocre, when I wanted chaos I created _chaos_ not a few murders here and a few public appearances there.

I could hear the screams of the family before I even walked through the gate, could also hear the crescendo of heartbeats and the sound of the children fleeing for their lives. _Yeah, I"ll get that bitch, screw her right up! God, that makes me so hot! _I refrained from listening to their disturbed and often perverted thoughts anymore as I stepped through the door and was immediately welcomed by the tantalizing scent of blood. The youngest of the three children was already dead, the nine-year-old's blood splashed against the walls and smeared across the floor as it had tried to crawl away from its predator.

"Who are you?"" Came a cackle from the dining room to my right, the woman sat on top of the dining room table, legs crossed and head turned to the murder going on in the corner by one of her comrades. As she turned her head back I noticed a strange burn on her cheek, the letter "m" placed within the sphere of a pendant, possibly it was the mark of a silver necklace- the mother had tried to fight back, perhaps.

The first male freak turned around, wiping blood from his mouth, his already ugly face contorted into a smirk of triumph, a teenaged girl lay dead on the floor, clothes ripped around her. "I was 'opin' we'd get more fun outta tha' one...aah, well, eh, Shels?" The man stopped as he saw me, "Shit, s'that Hellsing's pet!" Pet? I think not! His hand pulled at his waistband for his gun as I drew out my trustworthy weapon; lining it up and shooting him down before he could even flick off the safety on his own gun.

Shels screamed, picking up a knife on the dining room table and hurled it at me, the blade sunk into my shoulder. "Is that all you've got, this isn't very fun at all!" I shouted, dislodging the knife from my shoulder and hurling it at her easily. She screamed as the knife embedded itself in her eye, falling from the table and squirming on the floor like a fisherman's catch of the day.

"Patrick! Get the hell outta here!" She screamed, the sound of a window upstairs being smashed reached my ears, I growled--perhaps there would be a bit more of a fight after all. Thank God. I was getting worried that I came out here for nothing.

I reached the woman, gripped onto her neck and twisted the knife into her socket, she screamed, squirming in my hand and shrieking for me to stop, "You can't do this!" She shrieked, "I'm like you!"

I laughed in her face and her eyes widened "You? Like me? You will never be a true vampire! You are just some lab rat! You mean nothing!" She tried to kick me.

"I'm a vampire, just like you!"

"You're a FREAK!" I roared, blowing a hole through her skull and sending her straight into hell. My attention turned to the escapee, I followed soundlessly watching the short and stocky figure of the freak run down the street, my eyes caught the shape of another freak running into the church.

"Police girl, it's your turn, now." I said returning back to the group of soldiers, Seras lined up her canon-like gun, her teeth biting down on her lower lip in concentration, her finger pressed upon the trigger. The short figure stood around two hundred or so meters away from the church, but suddenly the figure vanished, ash pouring from sleeves, neck and legs of his clothes; but we had not heard Seras' gun.

"That wasn't me..." She whispered, the soldiers shouted at one another to find out who had shot the third freak, though none of the humans could've shot him, he was too far away and even a lucky shot could not have been _that _lucky.

Atop the church's spire, a small shadow stood up and as my eyes focused I was able to catch a glimpse of the weapon, it was not a sniper's gun, it was, to my amazement, a crossbow, modernized, but a crossbow nonetheless. The shadow climbed down and ducked into the belfry, "Who was it?" The Captain asked.

"I don't know..." I answered, making my way to the church as quickly as I could, the doors had been blown open and the crisp winter breeze flooded the medieval church, had I been human, my breath would have been heavy vapor in the air. A shout came from an antechamber past the front and the aisles of hard wooden benches, "Long time no see, Alec!" Came a girl's shouts. The room was lit by candles, the orange light casting flickering shadows against the walls, if I couldn't already see in the dark, the dim lighting would've shown the fourth and final freak being thrown back into a table, unlit candles, photo frames and a vase tumbled over. The freak shouted back, "Why won't you just give it a rest! We killed Jack, so what?"

"So what? You say that about all your victims, Alec, and that cold indifference only makes me want to kill you more! You won't be so indifferent when Satan is shoving a couple of hot pokers down your throat!" Alec jumped at her, I stepped into the shadows and watched with mild interest as the couple fought.

"It was a little kill...get the hell over it!" Alec shouted as she gripped onto his throat and slammed her fist angrily into his face.

"That. Was. My. Baby!" She punctuated each word with another punch. The freak broke free, grabbed onto her arm, spun her around and lowered his mouth to her neck. She laughed humorlessly, a dagger slipped from her sleeve of her light blue overcoat and into her fingers; she whirled around stabbing him in the stomach.

"What you do will never go unpunished!" She screamed, pulling the dagger up, the sickening squelch music to my ears as her jaw set into determination. "Do you like that, Alec? Huh? Yeah you like _that_!" She twisted the blade inside of him, his shrieks and shouts bouncing off the walls, her sleeve drenched in blood.

"You...You're-" He stuttered.

"I'm what? Not doing it right?" She withdrew the knife and punched him to the ground. He crawled over to the table, grabbed the vase and swung it at her, fighting for his undead life. The couple punched and kicked each other, throwing each other against the walls, shouting all manner of profanities until their throats were hoarse.

Blue held him on the floor, face pushed into the stone slabs. She pulled his arm up his back until the joints dislocated and his moans and shouts muffled upon the stone flooring. With her other hand she gripped onto a handful of matted hair and pulled him to look at the photos that had remained standing from their tussle, "Look upon their faces and realize what your chaos does- it only gets your lot killed." She said to him in a deadly hiss, spit flying out from between her lips.

"Whatever!" He screeched, "Max is still walking around isn't he? He'll get you before you get him!"

"Max has been branded and he will receive exactly what you and the rest have." She let go of his arm, which fell to the floor uselessly, and pulled out a silver dagger. She cut the shirt off his back, revealing the same 'M' brand upon his shoulder blade. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm going to enjoy this a lot more than you are." He started to squirm.

"You bitch! You dirty bitch! Whore!" She dexterously flicked the dagger in her fingers, tracing lines over the brand, the flesh around it turning to ash, he screamed and finally after a few moments she buried the blade up to the hilt and he turned to ash around her, leaving her on her knees on the ground.

She sighed, head falling back, so she gazed at the ceiling. "For you Jack, all for you," she sighed, pulling herself up on her feet without putting her hands in the ash and then busied herself with tidying up the tables and counters, spending more time at a large photo of a black-haired, three year-old boy. Now the fighting had stopped I took my time observing the girl, who couldn't have been older than eighteen, and tried to read her thoughts. Her mind was a vault that not even the most experienced burglar could penetrate, just a single sentence escaped her mind: _Justified, my cruelty was justified...I am better than them. _

She had long flowing red hair, which appeared to almost be the same color as blood, her light blue overcoat and long white skirt were stained with crimson patterns, the blood more expertly placed than any designer ever could accomplish, in my eyes. A slit ran up the skirt to show a small portion of her thigh and a gun-holster equipped with a SW 1911, the stainless steel barrel glistened lethally in the candle-light. She kissed her fingertip and brushed them against the glass of the picture frame, "Sleep well, you are avenged, my beautiful baby boy." Her voice was steady, her jaw clenched in determination. Her face was not beautiful, her left cheek was marred by three white scars; her nose long, straight and pointed and as she smiled at the photo in her hands her nose wrinkled. Her lips were small and her bottom-lip a deep scarlet from constant biting.

She turned, the crossbow slung over her shoulder and a light blue top hat atop her head, the contrast of light blue with deep red not exactly color coordinated. "Well, hello there, Red," She said, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. I noticed her arm tense ready for a fight if need be.

"Good evening," I answered, she relaxed slightly.

"You're from Hellsing?" I nodded.

"And aren't you a bit young to be fighting vampire-freaks?" Her lips twitched from their down-turned position, I noticed another of scars on the other side of her face, one running from the corner of her right eye and curling up at the temple, the other starting on her jaw-line and wending its way over her throat.

"Aren't you too suspicious looking to be asking _me_ questions?"

"Touché,"

"I'm old enough to have sex, drink, smoke, drive- so I am old enough to fight anyone also, whether they are human or not,"

"That mark was on the woman's face as well..."

"You got her? Mm, all of them have it, anyone who crosses me has it, it means I'm getting around to killing them,"

"What does the 'M' stand for?" I asked. She blinked.

"Introductions...sorry, I forget decorum when I've been fighting, I am Molly," She bowed and took off her hat, straightening up she asked, "And you, Red, are...?"

"Alucard," I answered, taking off my hat and inclining my head to her.

"Ahhh, Alucard, Sir Hellsing's favorite assassin?"

"I wouldn't say favorite -best, yes,"

"If you don't say so yourself." She snorted.

"But I do say so myself." I smiled, the corner of her mouth turned up into a lopsided smile and she shook her head.

"No doubt some of those soldiers will be coming in here in a moment...?"

"It's a possibility."

"Well, I'm not exactly highly esteemed- this is where I disappear, excuse me, Red" With that she turned to the picture on the table and bowed , taking off her hat, and repeated this action to me.

"Good evening, Blue," I laughed as she slipped past me and sprinted towards the steps to the belfry, obviously not wanting to be seen leaving the main entrance. I turned my head to the ceiling, heard her boots against the old wood and heard the rustling of leaves as she climbed down the back of the church and left.

"Master. Master?" Seras shouted through the church, skidding to a stop at the doorway, "You took forever...did you see the person who got the other vampire?"

"Not even vampires have forever, Police girl," I corrected, "And yes, we don't need to worry about her."

"Oh...ok," I donned my hat and sunglasses and walked with Seras back to the Captain.

"Who was it?"

"A girl with a vendetta, no need to worry,"

Walter and Integra listened as I explained it was not I who had killed the final freak, "Walter, could you see if you could find out who this 'Molly' is? I don't want her 'excursions' bringing attention to ours." Integra lit the end of her cigar and sat back in her chair.

"It was quite obvious by her technique that she has done this countless times before." I added as Walter slipped through the doors, "I doubt she will be found out now."

"Doubt all you want Alucard, the slightest slip-up on her part and we're all buggered." I nodded slowly.

"How did she shoot him?" She thought aloud, after a moment of silence. "You would've seen if she had a sniper...you would've seen if she had telescopic sight...how?" She shouted, ash falling from the end of her cigar.

"Luck?" I offered, stepping over to the window and looking out to the mansions gardens and lawns, a firing range and a field for the soldiers's field practice.

"No, Alucard, you and I both know that's not it, did you hear her heart beat?" She asked, spinning her chair to look out of the window with me. I had to think back, I could remember hearing the dull noise of a steady heart-beat as she fought the vampire and then it had slowed...

"At times,"

"At times"?" Integra asked tetchily, stumping out the cigar in a glass ashtray, "What do you mean 'at times' was she human or not?"

"I would guess...not," I looked down at Integra, her elbows rested on the arms of the chair and her fingers interlocked, one of her eyebrows was raised.

"Guess?" She sighed, rubbing her temples and spinning back around in the chair.

"You seem tired, Integra." I laughed, standing beside her chair.

"You would be too...Maxwell and the damn Iscariot organization is really starting to annoy me."

"Starting? More annoying than usual?"

"Unfortunately so...He seems to believe the root of his vampire problem back in Italy is coming from England. That pig! Always tries to make out we don't do our job! We work our asses off! And what does he do? Sits back, relaxes! I bet he has never fired a gun in his life!" She sneered disgustedly.

"Does he have evidence to back up his claim?" I asked calmly. Integra shrugged.

"A few vampires speaking English...a cult tattoo here and ritual killing there! 2001, we had those Irish vampires, what did they call themselves?"

"The Architects, they believed they were sculpting Southern Ireland for a new era--one that was far too easily wiped out." I smirked as I reminisced about the slaughter- how simple it had been.

"How many were there?"

"Around sixty- which is quite a large group as cooperative freaks go," I mused aloud.

"Exactly, ten English vampires and Maxwell starts squealing like the sniveling pig he is!" Integra slammed her fist on the table.

"Feeling better?" I smiled as a knock resonated around Integra's office.

"Come in." She called, Walter slipped into the room, a tray of camomile tea and a file lay beside it.

"I thought you may need this, Sir Integra. Also," Walter placed the tray on the desk and set the cup and saucer in front of Integra, "this Molly girl, I was able to find a small paper trail..." Integra raised an eyebrow and took the file from the silver tray.

The first page was donated to pictures of women on a street corner, each one wearing clothes implying they were prostitutes. A man stood talking to them, a girl at his waist; the man seemed too smug with himself, and immediately I noticed the slightly inhuman teeth and the pale skin. The girl was undoubtedly Molly, her red hair piled on top of her head tastefully complete with a small ornamental top-hat, a long dark blue skirt whipped around her legs and a black overcoat was wrapped around her for her only warmth. "That man was Philip Mcphail, a pimp. He hired human and vampire women alike, set them up with freaks, vampires and humans. He was followed by the police for a suspected drug smuggling and was a suspect in the Ipswitch serial killings a few years ago." At the look of my blank face Walter elaborated, "The Jack the Ripper copycat," I nodded then.

"Where does Molly come into it?"

"Well, after Philip's disappearance, the police believed he was smuggling more drugs so they brought in his favorite girls, one of them being the rather tenacious, Molly. When they raided his apartment to find her she put up quite a fight, wouldn't talk to anyone them--they even went as far as to hire a translator as a majority of the girls were Bulgarian and Russian. The other girls were able to tell them that he had disappeared months before and that Molly had been looking after them and, unlike Philip, treated them well. When they went back to her cell for another interrogation she wasn't there, the guard looking after her was suspended and she is still wanted for questioning."

"My, she does get around," I laughed. "How old is she?"

"Well, the girls working with her said she was underage...but that she was forced into prostitution- blackmailed even." Integra read her file, turned the pages to read more information.

"She was caught on CCTV camera at the Voodoo Lounge attacking two customers- they are said to be connected to Maximus Frasier-" I looked up.

"Maximus?"

"Yes, Max. She is neat and organized and most of the time the evidence was only circumstantial...she was also wanted for a kidnapping."

"A two-year old?" Integra looked up from the file, closing it and throwing it back on her desk, drinking the tea deeply.

"She kidnapped Jack from a murder scene..."

"So the child wasn't actually hers,"

"She is connected to many vampires, mostly are true vampires; any freaks she is connected to die shortly afterwards."

"Where was she born?" Integra asked.

"That is where we draw a blank, she appears in 2000, disappears in 2005 and reappears a year later. She has no credit cards, no accommodation, no job... she is a ghost."

"She is fighting with us then, a liability, but a friend none the less," Integra span back to face the window. _To give us up would be to give herself up. She is young, too young to know about all this. _She shook her head sadly. She knew what it was like to be exposed to the vampire world at a young age.

"Well, sir, I shall return to my duties." Walter made to collect the file and tray.

"Leave the file, Walter, please." Walter nodded, leaving the office.

"It is quite late, Sir Integra, I shall leave you to your thoughts." I left the office for my own chambers, an uneasy rest awaiting me.

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A/N; Hey, hope you enjoyed it, it's quite a long first chapter. Marie, hope you like it! Everybody- hope you like it :D An update should be coming up soon, "cause I just cant stop typing :P oooh, muffins! yum!

Thank you, Marie for giving it those extra tweaks, it's all the better for it :D


	2. The Lair

**Chapter 2**

**Alucard**

**(Warning, quite long) Now betaed and with no added artificial colourings! gasp :P enjoy**

"Good evening, old friend." Walter looked up from the computer, his monocle reflected the computer screen, he was looking at police files, his lined face creased in concentration in thought but he smiled briefly as he answered me, "Good evening, Alucard," he returned to the screen.

"Has anything out of the ordinary happened this evening?"

"Not yet. The recent deaths in Berkshire all seem to be done by vampires, but I'm afraid I can't find any connections to any one group or individual. But, as a little something to deter your boredom, we've recently discovered that the owner of The Lair is a vampire and is abducting then selling dancers and female customers for cash. He may also know something about the incidents in Berkshire."

"The Lair? Doesn't exactly sound like the usual club or bar."

"It's a strip club." Walter added, a bemused smile playing at his lips as he noticed my suddenly unfathomable face; my thoughts on strip clubs and the like were well known and it seemed that, increasingly, freaks hid in seedy clubs and brothels- somewhere I did not enjoy skulking of my own accord. Where sin dwells, so must the sinners, I suppose; and so I was forced into those brothels to bestow punishment upon those sinners.

"I know, trust freaks to choose strip clubs. And I still haven't found out anything new about this Molly girl, or her connections to Maximus,"

It had been three weeks since she had appeared, and just as she had appeared she had now disappeared, she truly was a ghost. "Have you found out anything new about where Maximus has settled?" Tonight would not be a good night, having to stoop to the sordid levels of disreputable "gentlemen" and not having any information what so ever on Maximus and his devious plans would only add to my bad mood.

"No, we've got record of his movements in Hull- that's it, nothing else has been reported,"

"Maximus is in hiding," I pondered, "no doubt he is planning something." Many of his smuggling operations and vampire-freak manufacturing had all been crushed by me. Each time he had become more tricky, had thought things through more in a hope of finally succeeding- but no freak will succeed with a monster like me breathing down their worthless necks.

"So, is this a relatively small operation? Is there need of a few bumbling geese?" Walter looked up from the computer.

"No need for soldiers- it will just draw attention- no, Integra would like for this operation to go underway as quietly as possible. The Lair will be full so not too much gunfire and we want as little casualties as possible,"

"It seems that all my errands are becoming more and more disinteresting,'

"Easy or not it gives you something to do, it seems that we have hit a quiet patch," Walter turned off the computer and stood up, "Do you need anymore silver bullets, Alucard?"

"Probably not, as you said 'as little gunfire as possible.' Is Seras downstairs with the soldiers again?" Walter smiled.

"At least they seem to be at ease with her now,"

"She is a vampire," I hissed, "the mercenaries _should_ feel edgy around her; it's always been that way. If I went around befriending the soldiers- would they take me seriously? Would they follow orders without hesitation?" Walter nodded slowly.

"You have a point, but social interaction seems to make her feel better," I would never agree with her desire to keep in touch humanity, she still would not drink blood and it had been months. On the odd occasion, when she felt completely exhausted, she would drink but her stubbornness could lead to sloppiness and that would be incredibly irresponsible. I excused myself from the library and headed towards the cellar where gunshots and cheering could be heard. The mercenaries had taken to competing against each other on the precision of their shots, betting and gambling at any game they could, whether it be poker or target-practice. Captain Bernadette sat at a desk tending to one of his favorite guns, while Seras stood leant up against the wall, watching as the rest of the mercenaries tried to better each other.

"Well, Draculina, looks like we have a job to do," Seras looked up, blinked for a moment to clear the pensive haze within her head and then nodded.

"Yes, Master, where are we going?"

"A strip club," I answered indifferently. _Didn't know he was into those kinds of things- oh well, whatever floats his boat. _I laughed as Seras collected the case holding her cannon-like gun. "We are to cause as little chaos as possible." I could already see how tedious this operation would be, "Our aim is to kill Lucas and Peter, the owners, who have been kidnapping women, possibly men, and selling them to other vampires."

"Oh, so...nothing too conspicuous, just the old one-two and we're gone?" She asked, half running to keep up with my long strides, her face suddenly lit up with relief.

"Unfortunately." I answered coldly. Perhaps I could try to have some fun with this little operation? So far this operation looked to me as more boring than sitting in my chair doing nothing. Seras was smiling, "I prefer those types of operations, it's quicker, less messy and we get to go home in less time."

"So you can converse with your new friends?"

"I...I suppose," Seras hesitated, picking up on my disapproval, _So he wants me to be a loner, does he? He may be fine with that but I bloody am not!_

"Shall we take the car?" She asked, finally breaking the cold silence that had been spreading between us. Not that I could say I was relieved, if anything I was relishing the silence, Seras had no idea, but her body language said more about her than her opening her mouth and speaking, and I enjoyed watching her, he awkwardness and annoyance.

"I suppose, but we've got twenty miles -an easy sprint-" I started, knowing what Seras' reply would be. She scoffed.

"That's impossible! You'd go ape-shit having to wait for me and my slow ambling!" Seras pulled the car keys out of her pocket and unlocked an old red sports car, she threw the case holding her weapon on the back seat, "Do you want to drive?" _Stupid question, he drives like a bloody maniac._

I grinned wickedly, "Would you like me to drive?"

"No." Seras hurried to the driver's seat to stop me from getting any ideas.

"I don't see why you get so jumpy when faced with me driving, it's not like you can get mortally wounded." Seras turned to me with a look of contempt.

"Yes, but a wrecked car, a few broken bones and a car collision report everywhere doesn't exactly help my mood. Or Sir Integra's." She added. I smirked, she was completely right. But would that have stopped me? She drove out of the Hellsing estate, the grand gates closing slowly behind us, the noise of the metal-on-metal contact subdued as Seras promptly turned on the radio, a loud guitar solo pierced the air around us and I had to stop myself from voicing my opinions on the raucous music. I turned to the window, the claw-like fingers of the tree branches criss-crossed one another above and beside us, caging us in as a thick fog rolled in from before us, the headlights our only way of seeing through it all. As the music teetered to a close, Seras ejected the CD and put on something more contemporary, though the female singer had an incredibly beautiful voice, there were impurities that I could recognize clearly that human would not have, here and there I could hear the sharp turn of a bad note and the slight skipping that the song made where they had edited her singing to perfect it. Seras made no move to strike up a conversation, at least this gave me plenty of time to think of a plan- which would also stop me from getting bored for at least a few minutes.

­

The plan was simple, scare the couple out of the club while Seras took them both out from the rooftop of an adjacent building. The only flaw to this being that the police regularly patrolled the area and, should they attack us, I would safely say I would attack them back, something Seras was adamant about avoiding.

As I came to the backstage door I noticed a figure climb down the fire-escape, her long red hair flowing behind her as she landed next to a broken dressing table, the mirror reflecting the resolute look of determination on her face. She sighed as she stepped in front of the mirror, dropping the long dark-blue overcoat to the ground revealing a duplicated uniform worn by the waitresses of The Lair. A thin, long skirt with a slit up each side barely covered her legs and the top only barely covered her breasts, revealing her toned stomach criss-crossed with the lines of scars. "Bastard vampire, how dare he tell Maximus, how bloody dare he!" She mumbled to herself, her face contorted in rage, as she pulled a pair of scissors out from a small bag and hacked at her hair. I watched for a moment as she cut her hair to just below her shoulders; she flicked her short locks, obviously displeased with having to hack off her usually waist-length hair. She leant into the mirror and sighed, "Foundation..." she grumbled, rubbing makeup over her skin to disguise the battle scars, the matte finish so unnatural and ghastly it made me cringe. How could women want to look so flawless? Their very idea of flawless skin only made them look like awful phantasms wearing skin-colored masks. It went against the very thing they were- human- and humans are nowhere near perfect, so why try to be?

Finally she stuck her tongue out and popped a silver bar topped with two silver balls on the wonky dressing table and proceeded to pierce her own tongue, she hissed as she pushed a needle through her tongue and roughly pushed the silver bar through the new wound, spinning the top ball onto the top of the bar and then knocking it with her teeth- the ball fell off. "Perfect," She whispered under her breath as she spun the ball onto the bar loosely, her speech slurred slightly due to the wound on her tongue. She pulled out an expensive looking blonde wig and popped it on her head, disguising her strange colored hair. She looked completely different, she would have fit in perfectly with the group of whores that worked at the club and she didn't seem too happy with that. "Just a few more and then I'm done. Retired!" She grumbled, opening the backstage door and calling as if she'd worked there for years, "No worries, sorry I'm late!" I collected the coat and hat- she may need those later- and followed quietly down a hallway and out into a great hall, strobe lights flashing and girls pole-dancing shamelessly to the loud, pulsating music.

How could a woman submit herself to this? How could anyone live with themselves after working in a place like this? I could remember, centuries ago, that I had punished women for doing just this, how I had hated it. Pole-dancers would argue that they were not hookers, but, in my eyes, they were all the same.

Molly's outfit was conspicuous amongst the others; somehow she had made it look classy and, while everyone else wore red, black, white or pink skirts and tops, she wore pale blue. I followed her soundlessly; not one man pulled his eyes away from the curves of the dancers, all manner of man were leering at the stupidity of the girls: family men, working men, bachelors, criminals, vampires; all were massed into this one room to fulfill their sordid fantasies. How it repulsed me to my very core.

At the other end of the room sat Lucas and Peter, Lucas wearing an expensive suit and Peter wear a black shirt and black jeans. The little blue-clad figure carried a try of shots to them and set them down on the low-lying table in front of the sofa they sat on, "Good evening, Gentlemen." She greeted, adopting a persona who was so used to working in places like this, but seemingly coy.

"Oh, we're 'ardly gentle, darlin'," Peter winked at her, I caught a flash of repulsion in her eyes that the bigoted vampires missed due to their eyes being pre-occupied with her swelling cleavage, she covered her repulsion well, covering her mouth and giggling like a schoolgirl. Peter leered at her, "You wanna sit down and have a drink with us? You look like you've been working hard."

"I...I was late, it would be unfair for me to skive and leave the other girls with the rush." I had to applaud her, she put on a very convincing act, stammered in all the right places, even calling up a blush, she swayed nervously giving a coy smile. Blue had done this before, no doubt.

"C'mon, love." Lucas sat forwards, beckoning with his finger for her to lean in, she did and he whispered something in her ear, her heart beat was a normal, casual beat, fast for her, and I wondered how she brought herself to let a vampire go so close to her neck. Lucas' whisperings could just be heard by me, "Let those whores do their job, classy girls like you deserve to have a break, and me and my companion here want to be the ones who give you that _well-deserved _break." Lucas paused at her neck and then pulled away. Blue straightened up, her cheeks bright red, her pale- so pale she could've looked blind- blue eyes flashed with repulsion but she smiled. "Okay, just this once." She sat down next to them.

"Shots?"

"No, I'm not good at holding my drink." She giggled flirtatiously, _Well, isn't that just lucky, we'll get you drunk and try to make this as pleasant for you as possible, Corinne and Mattheus will love this one. _I heard Lucas' thoughts ringing out.

"It's ok, as soon as you look like you're tipsy we'll stop you, is that alright?" She thought about it for a moment, looking at the tray adorned with a dozen shot glasses and two beer bottles. She took one of the beers and drank it deeply, "Not the adventurous type then?" Peter asked, his renegade's smile slipping for but a second; long enough for Blue and myself to notice, but she made no move to signal that she had noticed.

"Not really." She dithered and then added with a demure smirk, "But I suppose one or two won't hurt." She tipped back a shot and then rinsed her mouth with the beer, repeating this motion until she had finished the whole tray of shots. She hiccoughed and fell against Lucas.

She was being incredibly unprofessional to get drunk while trying to kill vampires, my eyes narrowed, I had held her in quite high esteem to go against vampires at such a young age and understand the consequences, such courage was lost in the younger generations, but now...I could say with all certainty that I had misjudged her character and her intelligence. Her courage was no more than foolishness and arrogance.

"Is that tongue piercing new?" Lucas asked, running his hand up and down her neck, watching her cleavage rise and fall with her breaths, smiling sickeningly.

"Mhm, I got it done 'specially for this job," She answered dozily. "Can we do something fun now, please?"

The vampires looked at each other and grinned, "Come with us, Bolly, we'll find us something fun to do,"

"Bolly? Like...the champers?" She blinked and looked up at them as they stood up, her pale blue eyes large, round and incredibly innocent, a smile turned my lips, no matter how much she lacked intelligence and common sense, she could act.

"Bollingers champagne, that expensive shit they sell at wedding receptions, it's classy- like you, babe- actually, I think we have a bottle in the office..." The pair took each of her arms and helped her to her feet, leading her into a back room. She gibbered drunkenly about a wedding she had once been to and how she had gotten so drunk she had table danced and stripped to the Macarena. Interesting.

"So, who wants to go first?" She asked tipsily as the vampires sat down, Lucas on a sofa on one side of the room and Peter on the other. "I'd prefer to watch for a bit, if that's alright," Lucas answered, Peter grinned.

"Looks like you're all mine for a bit, eh, gorgeous?" Blue stumbled forwards and mounted his lap, and started to kiss him deeply, moaning and running her hands through his hair, his hands moved to her thighs, he paused and I noticed his eyes open wide as he felt the gun holster, he fell back against the sofa, "Whoa." He sighed he started to pant like the mangy dog he was, Blue smirked triumphantly, all manner of innocence dropped.

"Are you that good, Bolly?" Lucas laughed, Blue stood up, the determination once again set on her face.

"It's Molly, you idiot," She pulled off her wig, her wavy red hair fell about her shoulders, Lucas stood, up fangs bared.

"You bitch!"

"Call me all the names you want, it's not me who's going to hell tonight." She spun around, pulling a knife from her boot and lunged at him, throwing punches into his face and kneeing him in the crotch until he fell on the floor. He gripped her ankle and pulled her to the floor, mounted her, his face still flinching and contorted in agony and held her arms above her head, "You think by killing me, Maximus won't come after you? He knows, you stupid bitch!"

"And that's exactly why I'm going to kill him!" She managed to free one arm and gripped onto his neck, pushing him back against the floor. "Nothing will give me more pleasure than seeing you die!" She spat venomously, slapping him and snarling with anger. I watched from the shadows as she sat on his chest, knees holding down his wrists and she ripped open his shirt revealing the familiar burn over his heart. "Those who are branded always die; you know that, did you think you could just get away?" She sneered, punching him again and again.

"No, but I thought you'd be smart enough to realize if I die you're dead too!" He laughed, blood flowing from his nose and mouth, the vile blood spattered her face, she cringed, throwing another punch into his face. "So what did you do to Peter? He's not dead; he'll wake up and kill ya!" Blue laughed and stuck out her tongue showing the lack of tongue piercing.

"The tongue piercing was pure silver, I left it in holy water for weeks- he'll be dead in a few mini-- well there he goes now," Peter started convulsing, ripping at his own face and stomach, screaming loudly until finally he turned to dust. Lucas's eyes opened wide, his pitiful face riddled with fear; how I envied her for getting there before me.

"I'll s-see you in h-hell, Molly, 'c-cause that's where y-you're goin'!" He stammered. Molly smirked, taking the gun from her thigh and shoving it up into his jaw, pushing harder until Lucas started to squirm and yelp, writhing as the barrel pushed up into his mouth, blood pouring down his neck. With her free hand she pulled the silver dagger and traced lines over his bare chest and the infamous brand. He started to shout and scream, kicking in an effort to get away from her. Simultaneously she cut around his heart and pulled the trigger, blood, bone and flesh spattered the carpet and finally his body turned to ash. What a beautiful and fascinating sight to see her fight; how merciless and remorseless she could be until the very end. And then all pretences were dropped, she was but a girl after all, a girl who may have been forced into this life from the very beginning.

She sighed, head dropping back just like it had before, perhaps she prayed after the kill? Her heart-beat slowing until it almost stopped and pulled herself up, toying with her hair forlornly, her eyes large with nostalgia, "Oh, well, it was about time I got it restyled anyway..." She turned, returning her gun to its holster and neatly sliding the knife back into her boot, she looked up, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Well, hello there." She stepped forwards, looking into the shadows. I stepped toward her and smiled a greeting.

"Pleasant evening isn't it?" I smirked, noting how her hands were painted with blood.

"Anyone would think you're stalking me." She laughed dryly, her eyes unsmiling.

"Don't flatter yourself, if anything, _you_ are stalking _me_." She folded her arms across her chest.

"How did you come to that self-obsessed conclusion?" She asked tersely, scoffing like the teenager she truly was.

"Wherever I go it seems you are there also, waiting for me."

"It's been three weeks, that's hardly everywhere." She looked around her and started to fidget.

"Is something the matter?" I asked, perhaps she felt uncomfortable around me knowing I was a vampire, perhaps she felt uncomfortable standing around in that ridiculously vulgar outfit.

"I need a shower...either that or I need to drown myself." She started to gag, "I can still taste him, it's disgusting!" She jumped up and down coughing, hands pushed firmly against her mouth. She caught sight of a bottle of Champagne in an ice box on the desk, "Hey, whadaya know, champagne." She set about taking out the cork and drank deeply for a moment, at my narrowed eyes she paused. "What?"

"Do you make a habit of drinking on the job?" I asked coldly.

"Oh, you saw? No, this is only the second drink I've had all evening- I really can't hold my drink. I drank the beer so I could spit the vodka shots into the bottle, that way everyone is happy," I raised an eyebrow as she set the bottle back down.

"I think maybe we've over-stayed our welcome, I need to get my hat and coat."

"A wise decision, I took the liberty of collecting them for you." She reached out for them; I pulled them out of her reach teasingly, watching as her brow creased with a deep scowl.

"I don't have time for games, Red." I handed them back, still smiling as she pursed her lips, "Thank you," she growled brusquely. She pulled the coat around her tightly and set the hat on her head. "I hate strip clubs, why do women submit themselves to this...disgrace?" She growled.

I snapped back a retort, "Probably for the same reasons you stooped to dress like them and kiss those disgusting individuals...perhaps, if they had asked you, you would have gone furth-"

"My limit is kissing, if they had wanted anything else I would've got out of here and let someone else handle them." She answered, her face paling. "I would never let disgusting..._creatures_ such as them touch me, I could never live with myself,"

"Excuse me, but, to my knowledge, you were a prostitute at some point a few years ago..." I watched as she eyed me, a wicked smile spread across her face; that was the first time I had seen her smile genuinely, not out of decorum or falsity. Her eyes lit up to match that cruel grin of hers, her nose wrinkling as she gave a short laugh.

"Who said I didn't just drug them to the nines and take the money from them?"

I feigned shock, "That would be incredibly dishonorable,"

"Oh, yeah, sure, shagging them for money is _so_ much better." She answered sarcastically. She stuffed the wig into her pocket and pulled out a pocket mirror, glancing at the damage on her tongue, "Ooh, bugger. Sneaky, yes, intelligent, not exactly." She whispered under her breath. "There's another door around here somewhere..." She mused aloud, searching the room until she found a door behind a bookcase, "How horribly clichéd." She chuckled, "This goes out the back to the alley, no one will notice."

A phone in my pocket rang, caller ID showed that Seras was becoming impatient, "Master? What's happening?"

"Molly took care of it, unfortunately." I hung up. Molly had disappeared down the corridor, not bothering to find out if I would follow, or if I had gotten caught- which would not happen, but I would've expected a girl to be compassionate enough to wait and make sure the other person was safe. I followed through the wall and stepped out into the alley, Molly and Seras were glaring at each other.

"Who are you?" Seras asked accusatorily.

"Your worst nightmare," Molly countered humorlessly, I felt myself smile.

"Oh, yeah, a teenager wearing a top-hat has always been one of my major fears. Someone save me from this scary tee- Master...I.." Seras caught my eye and faltered.

"Seras, this is Molly. Molly this Seras Victoria." Molly eyed her suspiciously, Seras smiled sheepishly at me.

"Sorry about that, Moll-"

"Apology accepted, for now." She growled

"Seras, where's the car?" I asked, ignoring the two girls still glaring at each other with an equal amount of suspicion and malice, the scene would have been quite comic if I hadn't been in such a foul mood due to the severe lack of action.

"I parked over there," she pointed her thumb over her shoulder, not taking her eyes off Molly. I sighed, taking Seras' shoulders and turning her around to face the street, she didn't resist but pulled away from my grasp. "I _can _walk, Master." She unlocked the car and sat down in the driver's seat.

"Where are you staying, perhaps we could give you a lift?" I asked, Molly's reply was the twitching of a smile on her mouth.

"I don't really plan where I sleep...oh, there is a nice cemetery on Saint Mary's Road, could you drop me off there?" I opened the door for her she ducked into the car, sliding along the seat and moving the case into the floorwell.

"Hey! Be careful with that, that's my baby," Seras adjusted the rear-view mirror and watched as Molly's jaw tightened and her eyes glazed. _Jack... _Her mind went silent, leading one to believe that she did not think, but with such keen eyes and dark humor one would realize that she was forever thinking, analyzing and calculating.

I sat in the back with her, deciding that isolating her in the back seat would not be at all polite, "You sleep in a cemetery?" I asked bemusedly, she seemed startled by my appearance and faltered in her answering.

"Mmm, depends. I usually sleep at Phil's old apartment- Phil _was_ my pimp,"

"What happened to Mister McPhail?"

"Chewed on a silver bullet is what happened." She snarled viciously, her fists clenched, the sinews across her knuckles turned white and her body shook with hostility, what must a man do to her to make her so enraged?

"Why would you sleep in a grave-yard?" Seras asked, glancing in the rear-view mirror, "Wouldn't you say that's a little...creepy." The car stopped at traffic lights, this is why I've always preferred to get to places by foot, waiting in congested roads and for traffic lights to turn was incredibly tedious and a waste of my time. Especially because I kept hitting my head on the ceiling of the car.

"I was brought up around vampires, the usual creepy things don't scare me. Someone could lock me in a coffin for weeks and I wouldn't get scared, I may die, but I wouldn't get scared. I'd take comfort in the fact that I would be slipping into a better place,"

"You murder people; do you believe that you would slip through the Gates of Saint Peter?" I asked. She ignored me, shaking her head eyes fixed on the road ahead.

"I kill for justice, I don't..." She paused for a moment, "I don't do it for pleasure." she added quietly, her head bowed in such a way that may prove she was lying. I had seen her in action, seen her eyes flashing with a vicious intent, seen her as she disemboweled a victim almost gleefully- if a perverted sense of pleasure didn't spur those kills, what did? Surely she did not believe that such depraved killings would earn her a place in paradise? Or perhaps she knew it wouldn't, but comforted herself with the false hope that it would. What a strange mind she had.

"You sleep in grave-yards often?" Seras asked. Really, Seras? Do you have some morbid fascination with the dearly-departed? I chuckled softly.

"I seem to sleep at Saint Mary's more and more frequently, it has a nice view of the stars, the place where I sleep is sheltered from the worst of the sun's rays but still becomes light during the day and the lilies smell amazing,"

"Do you have an aversion to sunlight?" I asked, fascinating, perhaps she was a vampire or something of that sort after all.

"No, but my eyes aren't built for too much light, in case you haven't noticed they're incredibly pale and whenever the light hits them my pupils contort- it freaks the hell out of any passers by- so I just prefer night-time,"

Seras rounded a corner and pulled up to an old church, Molly paused for a moment, "Hey, Red, could you scooch over a bit- I don't want to have to climb all over you to get out,"

"Of course," I acquiesced, holding the door open for her as she stumbled out.

"So, Big Red, Blondie, until the next time." She inclined her head, tilting her hat and set about scaling the gates, landing with a muffled thump on the other side. I could easily make out her figure slinking away through the bushes and pulling herself up onto an old tomb underneath an oak tree, she crossed her legs and turned her face to the moon and stars, no doubt she knew we were still there, but she still isolated herself in her own world. I watched for a moment, desperate to read her mind, to hear her thoughts; the teasing snippets were not enough. I never made a habit of reading people's minds, the odd thought would find its way to me but I never really intentionally sought out personal thoughts unless completely necessary; but now, now that there was one person I could not read, could not fathom, I wanted to read her mind more and more.

But, like a broken television set, I seemed to only pick up static, the odd muffled word if I listened hard enough, nothing concrete and nothing intelligible. She was possibly the only interesting thing to come my way since Incognito, and he had been quite entertaining until the end, I laugh when I think back to his unfortunate demise- and how unfortunate it had been, not at all pleasant. In retrospect, I believed that maybe she would be a tool to deter my boredom, not that she would be at all useful, in fact I could go as far as to say I thought she would be a hindrance if she were to help us in our mission of ridding England of the supernatural scum.

"Um, Master, I think Integra wants us back sometime soon." I closed the back door and slipped into the passenger seat. "So, that was Molly?"

"Yes, I sensed friction between you two,"

"Well, we're both independent, strong-minded women intent on killing freakish creatures of the night. That and we met briefly at a bar when I was still human, she interrupted a conversation I was having with a pleasant guy at the bar- took him home with her." Seras did not look at all pleased as she drove back to the Hellsing Estate.

"Do I sense jealousy?" I teased.

"Of course you do. What a thieving bitch." I smiled to myself.

"And what did this gentleman look like?" Molly did not seem the type to go to bars simply for male company, she seemed to have a very low opinion of the opposite sex.

"He was good-looking, a little on the pale side with these dazzling white te-" Seras stopped short.

"No doubt he was a vampire, my little Draculina, so really you should be thanking her," Seras shrugged.

"Whatever."

A/N: Hey, listening to some of the saddest songs known to human-beings! tear tear I have a whole load of stuff in store for Integra and everyoooone! mwuahahaaahaaa! You'll love me for it though, teehee. Hope you liked this chapter, don't forget to leave a nice review (nice is optional, brilliantly ecstatic is preferred :P) Anywho, I'm going to eat some fruit, I feel like being health-obsessed for an hour or two (fat lot of good that'll do me, eh?) Have a good evening/day/morning. And thank you Marie for being my beta, can't thank you enough- hope you liked this chapter.


	3. Banter

**Chapter 3:**

**Captain Bernadotte**

Yes, I did it, I fell for a salesman's banter. Well, not a salesman, a saleswoman- though, I don't really think she was a woman, either. Non, non! I don't mean she was a transsexual or anything, I mean, she had the breasts- small, yes, but they were there- and I'll have you know, I took my time in examining them! No, I simply mean she was too small to be a woman, too young looking. But then again, Seras really doesn't look like a bloodthirsty vampire—she looks way too cute and friendly compared to that monster Alucard.

All zose killings in Berkshire had really gotten to Integra, she had no idea who was doing it and none of the vampires Alucard had gone after knew anything about them and more and more women were going missing. A few bodies had been found—last time I had checked there had been eight—but no evidence had been found to pinpoint which vampire-freak was doing it. So, Integra—being intrigued by that free-lance gal—sends me to go and fetch her.

So, there I was, walking around a grave-yard in the middle of the day, a funeral service going on somewhere towards the newer section of the cemetery and not the faintest idea for whom I was looking. Integra had said, "She's young, wears blue and has red-hair," But, as teenagers' appearances go nowadays, red hair, young and blue are pretty standard, though I suppose not many teenagers hang around grave-yards, not the good ones anyone.

_So, where is she? _I decided to go through a small group of trees, underneath a large oak, the branches and boughs drooping over a solitary sarcophagus; withened black branches of once flowery bushes stuck up around the trunks of the trees to shield themselves from the harsh wintry breethe building up. It was then that I noticed the girl lying on top of the stone lid, arms behind her head, eyes closed and her top-hat lying next to 'er. She wore a slightly bloodstained, light blue over-coat and her blood-red hair fell to her breasts, covering up the small mounds that raised and fell only occasionally. _Well, that's her. But I don't want to wake her..._A quick reconnaissance told me she was armed and possibly deadly—most definitely deadly. She had what looked like a 1911 at her thigh in a gun holster and the boots she wore boasted hidden presents of a deadly nature. Yeah, I was _not _going to be the one to wake that one up!

_O...kay, maybe I'll just leave her for a bit, let her sleep. God knows she might take my other eye out...or toy with what's left of the other one—which, granted isn't much, but for all I know she could be a psycho...anyone who hangs out with the likes of Alucard and isn't scared must have a screw loose..._

"Are you going to introduce yourself? I won't bite." The girl smiled, opening her eyes and turning her face towards me, parts of her face cast in shadows from the large oak leaves. I stepped back at seeing her eyes. Honestly, they were...not normal. I swear Hellsing said something about her being human—possibly, definitely—but with zose eyes...

Her eyes were such a pale blue they could've really been colourless, but it wasn't the colour that freaked me out, it was the pupils: like cat's eyes caught in light they seemed to glow for a moment, and the pupils contorted into pin-prick sithed holes and then dilated to the whole sithe of her iris and finally settled into a long thin slit in the middle of 'er practically colourless orbs. She sat up and stretched, popping the pale-blue top-hat on her head and messing up her hair slightly.

"So...are you?" She asked, watching me expectantly, her lips were pursed and the bottom lip was a deep red, as if she had forever been biting it.

"Oh-I-Sir Integra Hellsing sent me," I answered, recollecting my composure, "I'm Captain Pip Bernadotte,"

the girl, Molly, gave a half-smile, one side of her mouth tilting up at the corner but her eyes emotionless and unsmiling. _Jesus, miserable or what? _I thought.

"And how do I know that, sir?" I frowned, formal and a teenager? "For all I know you could just be using her name as a cover, when really your motives are much more sinister,"

"I'm hardly interested in a tight-lipped teenager with freaky eyes, am I?" I watched her as she slipped down from the sarcophagus, light cast across her skin showing scars on her cheek, near her eye, running around her neck from her jaw-line and as she moved a strand of red hair from 'er eyes her sleeve fell down to her elbow, showing a scar at the inside of her wrist all the way to the inside of 'er elbow.

"I don't know...maybe that's what you like," I couldn't help but cringe. She smirked wickedly, "I am Molly, in case you had not already guessed, Mister Bernadotte,"

"_Captain _Bernadotte, if you don't mind," I sniffed tetchily.

"So...Hellsing sent you?" She ignored me, "And why would Madam Hellsing want to talk to little old me?" She cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrow.

"You have connections, right?"

"I may have connections,"

"She just wants some of your expertise on the field for a particular case," _'Cause God knows we can't sort this Berkshire killer out ourselves. "_And she prefers to be called 'Sir',"

"The Berkshire killings?"

"Y..yes," How did she know that? She shrugged.

"Still don't think you are who you say you are," She sat back on the sarcophagus, legs crossed, resting her elbow on her knee and her head in her palm. "You see, I face a dilemma,"

"Oh?" She shook her head for a moment.

"Changing subjects—I don't want to bore you with personal qualms—If you are who you say you are then you can answer me this question," she paused and leant in, tipping her hat back so it would not fall off her head, "Who is her top assassin?" _Easy, it's that psycho Alucard. _

"Alucard."

"Does he wear a top-hat?"

"No."

"If our coat colours were mixed together what colour would be made?" I paused for a moment, I hated art, mixing colours to me was alien. After a moment, I answered: "Purple,"

"Fine. So, lunch then?" She said, picking up a small bag, pushing past me and trudging over the muddy lawns to the gates.

"What?! I've got to get you up to Hellsing Mansion." Molly folded her arms.

"The only way you are going to make me leave with you, is if you buy me lunch- I'm starving,"

"Okay, I'm sure we can get a bacon sarney or something on the wa-"

"Cheap-skate! I can't eat that shit, makes me severely ill. Would you like that? I can assure you when I get ill, it is not pretty nor would it be very pleasant _for you_," She seemed to use this as a threat, her eyes flashed with amusement, though her mouth betrayed only a little smile, "I'd murder a rare steak and salad...haven't eaten in two weeks," My mouth fell open, who did she think I was? Sir Alan Sugar!?

"Oh, c'mon, you're a mercenary, you can afford a _little _steak and salad,"

"Two weeks? You'll eat for Britain!"

"It's that or your job, Sir," I flinched, somehow when she used sir it did not sound at all respectful. It kind of reminded me of my own schooling, how I had pissed off as many teachers as possible and each time I was made to apologise I would say: "Sorry, _**Sir**_." As sarcastically as possible. Her tone wasn't sarcastic, but it was really...threatening, I don't know how to describe it. "Fine, I saw a restaurant down the road." I jerked my thumb over my shoulder.

"Glad we've come to an agreement." She followed me to my own Mitsubishi Bi-Turbo. An old model, but one that was reliable, attractive and fun, and paused for a moment. Surely, Molly wasn't going to put up a fight saying her mother had always told her not to get in cars with strangers. She opened the door and slid in to the front with me, rucksack in the floor-well by her ankles. "Kindly stop looking at my legs, Bernadotte." She exhaled, matter-of-factly. I frowned, _Why the hell would I be looking at her legs?!_

"No, I was just wonderin' what was in the bag." She blinked in answer and then picked it up, unzipping it with a flourish, grinning wickedly, her eyes still remained unsmiling.

"It's my comrade, a modernithed cross-bow." The cross-bow gleamed in the watery light thrown over it from the blotted out sun. Its initial design was very cross-bow-esque, but it had a barrel for...bullets? "It's been modernithed so that bullets- also bolts- can be shot to further distances, it's range is around the same as the average magnum sniper-gun," I raised my eyebrows, that was far enough.

"No sight." I commented as I pulled the car out onto the street and drove for a few minutes until I came to the little restaurant.

"I have quite good eyesight, I don't need it- my shots are always true,"

"If you don't say so yourself," I mumbled.

"Honestly, Captain, what a wretched mood you are in. Will you join me in a nice meal?"

"Hell, I'm paying! I might as well get a good meal out of it as well..." I grumbled. Molly re-zipped 'er bag up and set it down in the floorwell, stepping out into the street and narrowly avoiding a red rover as she donned a pair of sunglasses, I cringed.

Molly waited for a waiter/waitress to show us to a table and for me to accompany her. The waitress did a double-take at our rather strange appearance: a one-eyed gentleman and a young girl with more scars than she could count. Though, the waitress wasn't exactly normal herself, she had numerous piercings, including a tongue piercing, complete ear piercings a nose ring and a chin stud.

My training had become habit, I always sat facing the doors, with my back up against a wall. The waitress showed us to a pleasant booth-ish area underneath an eight foot tall canvas stretching to the skylight. A built-in chair stood against the red-brick wall and a second seat stood with its back to all doors, all windows. Molly sat down against the wall. "I'd prefer if I sat there, Miss Molly,"

"I sit like this, Captain, if you disapprove I'll have two steaks." The waitress raised her eyebrows, setting the menus down on the table.

"Here are your menus, I'll be right back to take your order..." The waitress disappeared, Molly eyed her angrily as she disappeared.

"_We're _freaks?! How about you with your excessive body-piercings?!" Molly hissed into her menu. The young girl stood giggling with a couple other waitresses, all three of them shooting glances at us as we were forced to endure each others' company I looked down at Molly, Fine, I would have to go against habit. I sat with my back to the door, the hairs on the back of my neck sticking up, my body ready for a fight.

Molly set down her menu and glared into the girls' direction, all three stood stock still, watching us. "You don't have to scare 'em, Molly, they're only scared of the abnormal—and we're pretty abnormal." _Hmm, the steak does sound rather nice...but then again, I've always been partial to a lamb chop..._I thought.

"Their manners are appalling." She answered, breaking eye contact from the timid waitresses. She set her blue hat down on the table and put 'er hands behind her head, her eyes hidden behind the glasses but I was sure they were scanning the room.

"How long've you been in this line of work, Molly?" If I was going to have to put up with both her company and feeding her I might as well interrogate her at the same time.

"Well...I can remember two years without fighting these bastards. But I can remember fighting them every other year, as far back as I can remember."

"You only look eigh'een,"

"I feel eighteen, I look eighteen- therefore I _must _be eighteen..." there was a glimmering of a lopsided smile at her bitten lips. She scratched her long pointed nose and turned to look to the left.

"Oh?"

"Here comes the manner-less bitch, now," the waitress seemed to appear beside us, I jumped, knocking the table. this was why I hated having my back to everything, I just got so jumpy.

"Ready to order?"

"I'll have two glasses of still mineral water, an extra rare steak with a large portion of salad- if you ruin it with dressing I will hurt you." Molly snapped, handing her the menu. The waitress nodded fearfully.

"Yes, Miss. And you, sir?"

"I'll have the same, though you can put as much dressing as you want on mine." I grinned in a hope of lightening the mood, the bleach blond waitress twitched her lips into a thankful smile.

"And dessert?"

A large fruit salad- no ice cream, no cream, no anything," Molly snapped, crossing her arms, her jaw flinching and twitching with agitation.

"I'll have a bowl of strawberry ice cream and would it be possible to get a bottle of vino- a cheap one, I'm not rich." I handed over my menu as Molly scoffed.

"Oh, my right buttock you're not," she snorted.

"Thank you, I'll get your order to you as soon as possible," the waitress scurried away and fled to the kitchens.

"You're incredibly cruel, d'you know that?" I hissed across the table.

"Yes, I think you'll find I do. Sorry if I don't get on with humans much!" I sat back in my chair and watched her for a moment, no doubt if I could see her eyes we would be locked in eye contact, but as the tinted glass stopped me from seeing those weird eyes of hers I had to make do with that lopsided humourless grin of 'ers.

The "crazy frog" ringtone cut through the air like a knife, the restaurant seemed to quiet down just to see who it was that had such a random ringtone. I flinched, _damn Seras! Playing with my phone again! _

Hellsing Manor appeared on the colour-screen, I flipped the mobile open, "Yes?" I asked, chortles from a nearby table signaling that I'd been caught, I would _so_ get Seras back later—but how do you get a vampire back, short of ramming garlic down their throat?

"Captain, are you quite alright?" Came the crisp, ancient tone of the old butler, Walter.

"Yes." I sighed, Jesus! they treated me like a kid! "I'm fine, just having a few teething problems..."

"Such as...?" Integra cut in, I conjured up a mental image of 'er sitting there at her desk with a cigar in 'er mouth, she must spend more on cigars zan she does on clothes, the amount she goes through!

"Well, Molly has taken this opportunity to have a late lunch..." _Using my cash, might I add. _I thought sourly. the blond girl set down two bottle of mineral water and two glasses, eying me as I sat leant against the separating wall between our booth and the vacant one beside us.

"She...wh...?!" Integra fell silent as a dark laugh came across the phone, I shivered. Molly tilted her glasses down her nose, showing off her weird eyes, I jumped at seeing them dilate.

"What was that?" Integra asked sharply.

"Nothin'...Molly's just...a little...um..." _Mental..Scary...freaky...weird..._

"Go on, say it, you know you want to. 'Mental', 'Scary'?" I frowned at 'er, she smirked sitting back again as she drained the bottle of mineral water.

"So, Molly is not welcoming you with open arms...?" Came the smirking voice of Alucard. I glared at the wall as he whispered to Integra, just loud enough for me to hear, "I knew a human would not be able to handle her...she can be quite temperamental,"

'A little' what?" Integra asked snappily, "Captain, it better be a quick meal!"

"Oh, believe me, it will be...I have no intention of putting you out of your way," _Or spending too much time with this freaky chick. _

Molly slid her glasses back up 'er nose, giving a sardonic lopsided smirk.

"Tell Sir Hellsing we'll be there as soon as my hunger is quelled,"

"Good." Integra answered, the line went dead. I stuffed the phone back into my inside breast pocket and exhaled.

"I take it she is not very well impressed? I do not mean to annoy...But, living as I do, one cannot pass up an opportunity to satisfy a hunger,"

We sat in silence, once again locking gathes upon each other. I started to fidget, my mind kept telling me someone was standing behind me, ready to stab or fire and Molly would be sitting there smiling evilly as I was finished off. "Zose are quite some scars you have there, Miss." I could not stand the silence any longer and Molly gave a fleeting humourless smile.

"Aren't they just? There are _many _more." _Either she's incredibly careless, or she's been doing this for a very long time _I though to myself. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours," She whispered, leaning into the table, a strand of blood red hair falling down in front of her eyes. I raised an eyebrow.

"You first then, Miss," I answered, leaning in also. Her mouth twitched into a coy smile.

"Well..." She slipped the blue over-coat off and pooled it around her showing off the scar at her wrist running the length of the inside of her arm to her elbow; three other scars run alongside one another at the top of her arm. She turned her head showing the scars adorning her cheek, temple and her neck; she turned around the show off her back-

"Whoa, what are zose?"

"Belts, lashings, slashing- the usual stuff you get from being tortured," She turned back around and pulled 'er over-coat back on. "I also have a few scars across my stomach and chest, but it would be indecent for me to show you those,"

"Well...I think you win- only by one or two though." I pointed to my lost eye, undid the top of my shirt to show off a few white lines across my chest and did my shirt back up, "I have a few on my arms, a couple on my back, but nothing like your tapestry." Molly laughed dryly.

"Oh, what a lucky woman I am, to be marred so...I should wear them with pride, hmm?" I shrugged.

"You could, some men find a woman who can handle herself quite appealing," She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Though, judging by your scars, you can't handle yourself in a battle, so..." She glared at me.

"Most of my scarring was induced unfairly, not in battle, rather, in torture..." She took off her sunglasses and showed off her eyes as they dilated again, "Prey tell, Capitan- have you ever been tortured...tested to your very limits?"

Err...can't say anything too harsh, a couple of solitary confinement treatments, they're pretty rough, starvation, a few beatings, psychological torture, but that's about it." Molly nodded.

"You don't stray far from civilithation then?"

"Oh, I've strayed." I laughed.

"Tell me, where has this tomcat strayed?" Her eyes flashed, leaning in for stories, details, facts and accounts. I blinked, I can't really say I've spoken about my job with women much, mostly they find out about my job and from then on it's "Aah...ok...yeah...Bye."

The waitress set down two plates, "There y'are: one rare, one extra rare," The waitress smiled briefly, "Anything else?"

"No, thank you ," Molly answered quietly, as she cut into 'er steak, pink fluid leaking from meat. I shrugged, digging into my own as the waitress disappeared.

"So?"

"So what?" I asked, through a mouthful of steak.

"Where were you?" I nodded, returning back to the conversation, telling about our last mission before Hellsing hired us Wild Geese and how I had lost men, my friends.

Molly slid back into the passenger seat as I grumbled under my breath, the bill had been huge. Forget huge, think _ginormous_ and you've got eet!

"Oh, cheer up, like you're going to find company like that again!" Molly giggled, throwing herself back into the chair, exhaling loudly and setting her hat down in her lap, ruffling up her hair tirelessly.

"Yeah, the company was brilliant!" I replied sarcastically. Molly shot me a disapproving look and then grinned.

"I reckon we should find ourselves a traffic jam, just to vex Sir Hellsing further." I blinked. Was it just me, or was she acting much more...upbeat and happy now she had eaten something? It made sense.

"I apologise, I think the fruit was in syrup, not fruit juice, bastards!" She closed her eyes, "Be a gentleman and wake me when we're there, I did not sleep well last night, something rotten this way comes,"

Molly was fast asleep as I exited the town on the outskirts of London and drove my way over the motorway back towards Hellsing Manor. I glanced at her every now and then, wondering whether she dreamt, and if she did, of what? She looked almost dead as she slept, peaceful but still deadly, very much like how she had been in the cemetery. I turned down the road flanked by tall trees and turned on my windscreen wipers as rain started to fall onto the glass. Five more minutes.

Molly sat bolt upright, "Where?!" She cried, looking around wildly.

"Shh, we're nearly there,"

"Where?"

"Hellsing Manor," I answered, glancing at her as her eyes widened, her pupils now perfectly human looking without the sun, though they were wide with fear.

"Wh-...oh, I need air," She whispered. Running her fingers through 'er hair.

"You'll get it in a minute." I answered, the gates were almost visible behind the torrential rain.

"Not a minute- now!" She cried, wrenching open the door, I braked as she jumped out into the night air, her hat left in the floorwell, my leather-upholstered seat slowly getting wetter as the rain carried on hitting at it through the open car door.

I left the car, slamming the door shut behind me, grumbling again, "Batty woman,"

Molly stood near a tree, body slightly hunched, her coat soaking wet, hair a sleek, wet wave in the middle of her back. "Miss Molly, get back in the car, it's raining!" I cried over the rain and clap of thunder.

"Yeah, sorry...I just..." Molly took in a shaky breath and returned to the car rolling her body forwards until her head was between her knees.

"Too much food?" I asked as I sat back in the seat, the cloth and leather making horrible squeaky noises.

"No...Bad nightmare," Molly whispered, sitting back up. She tried desperately to compose herself, but she was failing.

"that bad?"

She remained silent. the gates opened and we rolled into the Hellsing estate, pulling the car up near to the door. the grand doors were open and a slightly stooped figure came out bearing an umbrella. "Right, let's have some fun, hmm?" Molly called to me, as the door open.

"Miss Molly, I presume?" Walter enquired as he helped her out of the car, like the true gentleman he was. _Yeah, great, no umbrella for me...I just work for you...buy dinner for your guest..._

Molly pulled her hat on and slung the bag over 'er shoulder, pulling an umbrella from a side-pocket of 'er bag. "It's a little wet, wouldn't you agree, Captain?" The simple black umbrella fell in my lap, I flinched, half an inch higher...

I followed the couple into the Manor, my coat dripping water onto the tiled flooring, Molly and Walter were talking together.

"Will the Captain be joining us?" She asked, glancing in my direction.

"No, Integra would like a word with him later, actually." Walter countered, sliding the umbrella into a tall vase used for keeping umbrellas and, funnily enough, swords. I rolled my eyes, in other words, I was going to get a telling off for my lateness.

"You took your time, Captain." Alucard stated, stepping through from a wall to my left, I jumped- Mon dieu, you can never get used to that.

"We were eating,"

"I don't suppose you told her about our problems in Berkshire while you were dining?" Alucard smiled at me, I shivered.

"No...No, Alucard, I did not, she asked not to talk about business,"

"A lie, Captain." He laughed

"It slipped my mind, besides, it would ruin yours and Integra's fun, not being able to tell 'er everything at once." I stalked off towards the rooms used for patrolling guards, perhaps Jim'll play some poker with me until I get a right telling off.

A/N: There you have it, another chapter. What do you think of my Pip POV? Good? Not good? Review now and tell me aaaaaall! I want to improve, so criticise and praise! (Don't we all like a good praise?) and yeah...see you soon, sorry it took so long updating!


	4. Punctuality

**Chapter 4:**

**Alucard**

**A/N: This is about ten pages long, sorry, I just can't stop typing!! thank you to reviewers...erm..read on!**

**-&-**

Punctuality, something Integra adores; tardiness, something Integra has grown to despise almost as much as she despises dishonorable conduct, so it was no surprise as the room's air slowly became thicker and thicker with her annoyance and her cigar smoke. We did not need to talk as the clock chimed seven o'clock, nor as half the hour passed, but it seemed that Integra would snap if Bernadotte didn't turn up by the next hour. "You send someone out on a simple errand and they end up going out for dinner! How I despise mercenaries, no honour! No honour at all!"

"Don't blame the Captain, Integra, Molly isn't exactly...cooperative," I chuckled, still looking out of the office window towards the gates where I would be able to see the headlights when they finally did arrive.

"And you choose to tell me this now, Alucard?"

"In all fairness, Integra, if she helps us seek out the FREAKs that are terrorizing our country then it's worth it." Integra stumped out her cigar, the still smoking stump home with a small collection of evidence caused by this little annoyance. I caught a glimpse of light through the torrential rain, "They have arrived,"

"About bloody time!" The small flashes of light remained motionless; the car had stopped- now why would the Captain be stopping when he knows tardiness annoys his employer so? "Would you tell Walter to greet our guest, Alucard? No doubt she'd prefer to see a familiar face as well."

"Perhaps." I answered apathetically, still eying the yellow light through the rain, the car started towards the gates again, I turned on my heel and made for the foyer.

Walter seemed to have noticed the car and stood by the open door fussing with a black umbrella.

Molly ducked into the foyer from underneath the large umbrella kindly held by Walter, thanking him graciously and then taking off her hat for a moment to flick her hair forwards, ruffling it up habitually proceeding to collect her composure, "So, I presume you are Walter?"

"Yes, that I am, Miss Molly. And may I just say welcome to Hellsing Manor; I have been informed to escort you to Sir Integra shortly,"

"Will the captain be joining us, sir?" she asked, glancing towards the Captain as he ducked into the foyer holding a pathetically small umbrella, I chuckled bemusedly at seeing his somber facial expression. "No, Integra will be talking to him later," Walter answered. _Oh, great, a telling off—a bollocking, zat's all I need! _

"You took your time, Captain," I answered, stepping out form the shadows to his left, grinning cruelly as he jumped and his heart-rate skipped a beat. Molly seemed unfazed by my sudden appearance.

"We were eating," _Not zat I had a friggin' choice. _

"I don't suppose you told her about our problems in Berkshire while you were dining?" The Captain shivered, Oh it overjoyed me to see that he was still uncomfortable with my presence, just how the powers that be intended.

"No...No, Alucard, I did not, she asked not to talk about business," The usual tell-tale signs of a lie appeared, a skipped heart-beat, a mental dance which I have diagnosed as creativity.

"A lie, Captain." The captain's jaw twitched with annoyance at his thwarted lie. You have obviously not had a good evening, captain, I thought callously.

"It slipped my mind, besides, it would ruin yours and Integra's fun, not being able to tell her everythin' about the Berkshire killings." The Captain took this as his signal to leave and headed towards the guards' quarters.

"Good evening, Red, my we're looking ravishing this evening." Came the cold tone from Molly, I turned my eyes to her. Something was definitely different...she seemed...worn, like a stone statue under years of rain, though, I have to applaud her, she hid it well.

"Flattery, how quaint." I answered with a small smile. Her mind was closed to me—as always—but I felt a certain stirring within that skull of hers and around her.

"So, I suppose there is no chance of some pleasant banter before we run headlong into business, hmm?" Put so elegantly.

"I'm afraid not, Integra will not be at all amused with your lateness as it is, Blue," As I came up to flank her other side I caught the vague scent of moss and dew, the vague odour of blood. "Have you slept well, Blue?" I asked as we came to Integra's office.

"Unfortunately not, a few wounds that are persistent in bleeding the life out of me, an uncomfortable crypt, the usual problems one encounters when sleeping rough and fighting those bastards."

"Miss Molly, if, after this meeting, you need anything, at all, you may call for me." Walter bowed slightly, his monocle flashing from the light cast by the sconces.

"Thank you very much, sir, your service is most welcome." I opened the door for her. Even in her irritability at tiredness and pain she still seemed as polite as ever, perhaps it was this habitual politeness that prompted her to grace our presence, after all, I could never quite see her conversing with many people. Perhaps it was that I could only see her conversing with me or other vampires as I'd only ever seen her politeness when directed at me or the FREAKs she had intended on killing; but, my thoughts were quite possibly ascertained as she did seem slightly on edge as she entered Integra's office.

"Miss Molly, allow me to introduce myself, I am Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, you have already met the acquaintance of Alucard. Would you like to sit with us?" Integra asked politely, standing and gesturing towards two chairs before her desk. Molly smiled, taking off her hat and bowing lowly, "And I am Molly, glad to make your acquaintance, sir,"

"I have to say, I was rather apprehensive in meeting you, Sir Hellsing, I do not correlate well with humans, which is rather bizarre seeing as I am one." Molly smiled humourlessly and sat before Integra's desk crossing her legs and sitting bolt upright, her back barely brushing the back of the seat. A glance at her back showed the tell-tale signs of open wounds, possibly even infected given by the slightly septic smell of them, well, if she wished to do nothing about them, then it was her decision.

"I don't suppose you have heard of the killings in Berkshire, Miss Molly?" Integra asked, re-seating herself and sipping a cup of tea thoughtfully. "Perhaps Captain Bernadotte mentioned something," Integra raised an eyebrow, testing to see if the Captain had done as he was told and also informed her a little of our situation. At Molly's answer, Integra tensed slightly, I could sense she was quite vexed by this.

"Alas, he did not, I prefer not to talk about business over lunch—well, dinner, well breakfast...any meal, really." I raised an eyebrow but kept quiet of her loyalty in keeping the Captain out of trouble "But I already know the unfortunate and gory details. Ritual killings, am I right? I'm guessing a new cult of freak vampires gone wild..."

"That is what we are guessing also. But, it seems our contacts have come up short, we were wondering if perhaps, with your contacts, you have heard of any news, at all, as to who might be committing these disgusting slaughters." Molly laughed, no lopsided, half-humourless smile befell her lips, but a genuine—albeit, dark—smirk.

"My contacts don't grace the earth long after meeting me, unless they were directly associated to my mother, I never touch my mother's comrades, she would not wish for it. Barnibus has been hibernating for the past few decades, Craig is finding himself a new horizon, somewhere in Toronto, I believe, Alice met her end ten years ago and Frederick and Stephen are both in hiding until the rot has passed,"

"Rot?" Integra asked.

"Both have this _amazing_ foresight, they sense something rotten, as do, if I am absolutely h-" She flinched slightly, "honest,"

"Are you alright?" Integra asked. Molly ran her tongue over her reddened lips and over the inside of her mouth, taking in a long shaking breath.

"I'll be fine when we find out who is committing these atrocities." Molly sat forwards in her chair, popping her hat in her lap and running her hands over the top to calm herself. Blood patterns spiraled from her back into long curved lines, the patterns were a darker shade of red, but perhaps that was the fabric's influence and the more I looked the more it reminded me of corporeal punishments given to thieves and adulterers decades before- lashings- she had been whipped?

"You have heard nothing?" Integra asked over her interlocked fingers.

"You are looking for men, I know that much," Molly answered.

Men? Are you sure?"

"Certain,"

"How can you be so sure?" Integra asked suspiciously.

"If you have pictures of the victims I would gladly show you," Molly answered apathetically, sitting up in her chair and pulling her legs underneath her, Integra's jaw flinched slightly. _Feet on the chairs... _

"Sorry, force of habit." Molly set her feet back on the floor.

"Walter?" Integra asked into the intercom for the pictures of the victims, I took this moment to turn to Molly.

"You are quite obviously in pain, Blue, is it those wounds of yours?"

"How pleasant for you to be concerned!" She snapped at a whisper, her eyes flashing, she swallowed, "It's tolerable currently, thank you." She turned back to Integra, eyes hard and jaw set. I regarded her profile for a moment before turning back to the task in hand.

Walter knocked on the door and entered holding a file, "The crime scene photos, Sir." Walter handed the file to Integra.

"Would you like anything, Miss?" Molly shook her head and then nodded.

"A glass of water and an apple, if you don't mind, thank you." She answered, standing up to get a closer look at the photos. I grinned inwardly, hoping to see some look of terror, shock or disgust on her face at seeing the bodies, but she simply cocked her head to one side and laid the photos out in a line, leaving the pictures of the men in on corner of the desk and the women at another.

"Yes, these killings are done by men, new FREAKs who are on a power-trip," Molly sighed, "Not at all like the old days, not at all. Anyway, you can see from their killings that these aren't your normal 'Eats, shoots, and leaves' scenarios. These are vengeful, malicious killings—meant to fulfill sadistic fantasies not fulfill hunger."

"I gathered as much." Integra answered coldly. _She's telling us what we know, what we want to know is who is doing it!_

"Sorry, pointing out the obvious, I'm simply saying…look." She turned a woman's picture around so Integra could see it clearly, her flinching was barely visible, but noticeable to me, "the tormentor is incredibly fixated on the breasts, thus fixated on womanhood and anything it stands for. These two are done by one FREAK, and these six are done by the other FREAKs." All the women were covered in blood, bones were visibly jutting out from the bruised and bloodied skin, their eyes were wide even in their deaths and they were bound.

"How can you tell there are four men?"

"Because there are four male victims," Molly turned to the four pictures of men, each of them bound, gagged and ripped and beaten to an unrecognizable extent, Molly snorted slightly…I raised my eyebrows as she shook her head, still smiling humorlessly, "These aren't your usual vengeance driven kills—if it were, it would be some big burly guys who beat them up, or someone rich. I mean, look at them. They're weedy, small, stereotypically seen as nerds," Molly picked up one photo, looking at the scene carefully, "They don't drain them of their blood because they want proof of the body and their existence, they're killing nerds because they used to be nerds. Thus they are killing off that part of their personality, their lives."

"How very insightful, now do you know any men who would be doing this?"

"Ha! I am biased, I despise most men." Despising men? I would never have guessed from her slightly abrupt way of greeting men outside of business, and her sexist jibes when tormenting her victims. Perhaps she had been tricked into sleeping with someone and now hates all men for it, the bitter virgin routine. "There are numerous suspects but none worth following up," she sighed putting the picture down, "I know that there are other women missing, how many?"

"Last count in Berkshire alone was twenty-five." Molly pulled back her hair and plaited it quickly, shaking her head.

"Too many, this is just small-time killing. Four FREAKs don't need twenty-five girls to fulfill these types of fantasies, there's something more...something _rotten_."

"But at the moment we would like to focus on this, Miss Molly," Integra stood up and turned a number of photos around and looked at them. "So they're preferential killings?"

"Girls that turned them down when they were human but couldn't say no to when they were a vampire. It's their way of getting revenge, and, judging by the look of their male victims, there are going to be a lot more women, no offense to them of course, but...people are shallow,"

Walter returned with a glass of water and an apple held in his gloved hand, Molly smiled, "Thank you, Walter," Molly drained the glass quickly, setting it on the edge of the desk over one of the photos and ripped into the apple viciously, Integra and Walter looked on in horror, my mouth twitched into a smile as the apple's juice rolled down her chin and her jaws tore into the reddened flesh of the apple and ripped into the almost white-looking inside. My, Miss Blue, what big teeth you have...I thought amiably, as she carried on with her fruit-slaughter. I could not help but notice how her eyes flashed and how she swallowed hungrily; it could have been that she just had a healthy appetite, or that she was ripping into the crunchy apple to wile away the pain from her wounds or it could just be that she had an urge to rip open something. How bizarre she was...

"Shall we, Molly?" Integra asked tersely, all these recurring obstacles were really starting to get underneath her skin, unpunctuality and food-breaks, how intolerable. Molly dropped the core in the bin beside the desk and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, she flexed her fingers and looked over the photos again, she looked down into the bottom of the empty glance at the photo beneath it.

"Well, you could start with Joseph, he's probably one of the only remaining informants I have left, and he knows it, he'd do anything to stay alive...he's branded so he knows his life has a limit."

"Joseph?"

"Mmn, accidentally turned into a vampire in 1956 at the tender age of seventeen. He started his vampiric life drinking animal blood and then in a blood-crazed hunger he drained a whole farming village dry, mother and I were the only ones that could stop him."

"Your mother?"

"My mother, yes, we looked after vampires and when the FREAK chip came in, FREAKs, our house was a vampire sanctuary, as long as they lived under our roof no other vampire of human could touch them,"

"Seems a bit of a turn of events, if you ask me, started life protecting vampires and now you kill them." I laughed, Molly chuckled humourlessly.

"It's amazing how things change, but you must remember, I only kill FREAKs and those that don't know what they're doing. The honest day-to-day vampire is fine, I can sympathize with their existence, I will protect it. I have only ever killed two pure, honest vampires, and that was only because they were working for FREAKs and getting themselves in quite a predicament; all the others—branded or unbranded kills—are FREAKs,"

"But Joseph is a pure vampire, am I right?"

"He has tendencies to go off the rails, the brand is there for him to remember who can stop him and send him to hell, and he knows I _will_ kill him, no matter how well I know him." Molly seemed to have become transfixed with the picture beneath the glass, she turned it around, slipped it from underneath the glass, held it up, gazing at it in acute interest. "This one was in Berkshire?"

"Yes, as were all of them," Integra answered.

"You are a long way from home, Anya." She whispered, her tone cold and on-edge. Her pointed profile showed no remorse or sadness, yet I got a feeling that she knew this victim, "She was one of Philip's girls, I worked with her." Molly put the photo down, she did not seem at all saddened by this, which I found most interesting, didn't all humans mourn for friends, be them close or mere acquaintances, when they find out they had passed? _Why would Anya be in Berkshire? _Came the subtle thought, I smiled, so she could not stay closed to me all the time.

"Joseph will know, he works in the CBD, knows most vampires who are local to Berkshire. After that I can always find Hayden, he lives next door to me and will probably know why Anya was so far from home..."

"This isn't some mission to avenge your friend, Molly," Integra interjected, lighting another of her cigars and sitting back down. Molly gave her one of the most defiant looks I have ever seen given to Integra. Integra picked up on this and frowned; _If she will not obey commands then we have no use for her..._

Molly sighed, scratching her long nose and then answered, "I know, Integra, and I have no intention of 'avenging' her, but why would Anya, someone who hates traveling around England because she's only been here a few years and someone who prefers to work close to home, be up in Berkshire? It doesn't make sense. If we find out who her new pimp is, no doubt we will find a connection to whoever is committing these heinous acts of torture." Integra seemed pleased enough with Molly's attitude towards work. _If only some of the Mercenaries would be so professional about their job- and they get paid as well. _

"Well, I'd better get back—"

"Molly, it would be far more practical for you to stay here for a few nights." Integra answered with a sigh, still smoking her cigar thoughtfully.

"Are you offering me a _real _bed? One with covers? And blankets?" Molly's face lit up like an innocent child's.

"Yes, would you prefer a coffin?" Molly sniggered, eyes shining with genuine happiness.

"No, well...when pushed for space coffins are always a good alternative, but—I haven't slept in a proper bed for months!" She grinned. "Thank you!"

"My pleasure, as you'll be working with us it would be better if you were on-call, you will get a payment after this case has been sorted out--"

"I don't work for money, Sir, I've done this all my life it would be like asking someone to pay me for breathing,"

"Then how do you earn money to live?" Integra asked, cigar poised between her fingers.

"The prostitution paid well." Integra raised her eyebrows, _Not so well that you could live off the earnings for a good few years,_ "Phil was kind enough to leave me everything in his disappearance and my mother saved quite a bit of money from when she used the Sanctuary as a Hotel." Molly shrugged, "Thank you very much, Integra, but a payment is not necessary."

"If you are sure. Well, I'm sure it will be a pleasure working with you." _Finally! Perhaps she will enforce some proper morals in the Geese._

Walter showed her out of the office, Integra motioned my dismissal, and, having nothing else to do, I thought I might as well accompany her. "Would you prefer an upstairs room or a cellar room?"

"Somewhere in between, the light doesn't bother me it just plays havoc on my eyes if I'm not wearing sunglasses." Walter motioned for her to follow down the stairs to the foyer.

"The rooms come with an en suite bathroom, feel free to bathe. Would you like me to wash those clothes, the blood stains could do with seeing to?"

"Err, yes, I have a change of clothes in my bag...where is my bag?" As we came to the foyer, Molly paused, spinning around and looking up at the ceiling and the four corners for her baggage. "Here, Miss," Walter slung the bag over his shoulder.

"Thank you." Molly smiled, trotting up beside him happily.

Walter, like me, seemed to have picked up on the recent stains at her back, "If you need a doctor to look at any wounds, Doctor Hayward's room is on the second floor fourth down on the right, and the infirmary is on the ground floor down the corridor- it's clearly signed."

"Sorry, I don't believe in doctors, I do all my own first aid." Walter raised his eyebrows, _But surely in her line of work the injuries can get quite extensive..._"I mean, I can't really account for most of my injuries- gunshot wounds, stabbings- my memory is hazy, at best, but I have always done my own first aid. I mean, the only time I really turned to a hospital for help was just after my mother died and our guest FREAKs carried on with their havoc and tried to gut me 'like a fish'. And, well, the doctor had a right time trying to help me anyway, wouldn't take blood, wouldn't go into the operating theatre, if I'd stayed in there a little longer they would have sent me to the psychiatric ward for extreme masochism or something." She laughed slightly, her eyes shining. As light from one of the well-lit living rooms fell on her face she shook her head as her pupils dilated and contracted until they were mere slits across her almost white iris.

"You seem in quite an amiable mood this evening, Blue,"

"You would be too, Red, you would be too! I've eaten, something I haven't done in quite a few weeks. I'll be sleeping in a _bed_, I'm helping on a case I would usually ignore and leave to professionals and, last but certainly not least, the company is good." She grinned happily. This seemed quite an alteration to her usually stoic, cold disposition.

"You'll have to excuse my behaviour, I don't know what happens, but after I eat I can become very...irritating and happy. Unless you're enjoying my farce?" Molly asked, looking up at me as we made our way along a corridor towards a spare room. "It is certainly a change, but one I can live with- for now," I chuckled.

"Good, wouldn't want you to eat me in your agitation, I know, if I got a chance to eat me, I would." Molly sighed, rubbing her temples, her top hat jiggling atop her blood red hair jovially. I looked at her hair in amazement, I was sure she had cut it to her shoulders only a week ago, but here she was with her hair falling around her breasts, now loose from the braid. Perhaps my memory was hazy in my old-age, though I did not count on it.

Walter unlocked a room at the end of the corridor and stepped into the dark room, Molly sighed, "This is very nice, thank you very much." Walter turned on the lights to show that she had a choice of bed or coffin, a small table and a chair stood in the corner and Walter set her bag on the chair.

"Just give me a moment," Molly disappeared into the en suite bathroom, a muffled "wow" echoing inside.

"Anyone would think she's been sleeping rough for years the way she acts," Walter chuckled, "From your description I would have thought her a little less...how to put it? Cheerful and childlike,"

"She has never been like this with me, Walter, you know I find this type of behaviour tiresome and tedious after a while."

"Perhaps the Captain drugged her." Walter chuckled. The door to the bathroom opened, Molly stood in the doorway with a white towel covering her torso and the tops of her thighs, her red hair was once again braided and hung around her neck and down over her breast and I could clearly see the scars criss-crossing her body. At her arms, curling around her long pale throat, across her cheek, at her temple and there were smudges of blood on the white towel from where her wounds had opened up again. "If you don't mind?" Walter took the folded clothes she offered him.

"Not at all, Miss. But, perhaps I should call Doctor Hayward to have a look at those wounds?" Molly shook her head.

"They're fine, see?" She turned her back to us showing off the welts across her skin. Most were mere white lines of scar-tissue, but a few appeared to have opened again. The blood was incredibly thick and oozed more like tree-sap than dripped like blood and there was an unpleasant sour smell to it, my nose automatically wrinkled, her wounds were either incredibly septic or her blood was just incredibly inedible. "Completely fine, once I have a nice shower they'll start behaving again," She turned back around and laughed at seeing my wrinkled nose, "What? Don't I just smell so _delicious?_" She grinned wickedly. "If my blood smelt even an ounce appealing, I would have been eaten years ago, though how long ago I'm not quite sure," Molly shrugged, picking up her bag and rummaged though the contents until she found a series of tall glass jars, she laid them out on the table and then pulled out a second top-hat, this one midnight blue; and another midnight blue overcoat, a pair of black trousers and a black t-shirt. She set the contents out onto the table, along with weapons, until she found her underwear.

Walter had left after her little presentation, leaving the pair of us to start possibly awkward conversation with an uncertainty seen in strangers talking for the first time. Molly disappeared back into the bathroom, closing the door enough before dropping her towel onto the floor and padding towards the shower. The sound of the shower-door sliding open and closed signaling her showering.

"Hey, Red...how do I turn this on—" She yelped, "Cold!" I smirked as her heart skipping a beat in her surprise, the pleasantly splashing noises accompanied her sighs as she started to hum to herself cordially, openly enjoying the luxury of a shower.

The series of glass jars shone in the light thrown from the luminescent lights above, the gleaming glass catching my interest as light caught the interest of insects, drawing me in, for all I knew the contents could be lethal to a vampire, not lethal enough to kill _me _but enough to sting a little. Brazenly picking up the jars, I held them up to the light, the light showing the shadowy outlines of darts of some sort and every so often the silver surfaces gleamed. "Blue, tell me, what are the contents of these jars?"

"Oh, I wouldn't touch those if I were you, just in case,"

"Why would you be so concerned for me, Molly?" I asked bemusedly.

"Mainly because I don't intend on pissing you off. I've heard what you can do, and I would hate to be on the receiving end of that wrath of yours." She called back from the bathroom.

"You never answered my first question, Blue, what's in it?" I rolled the jar from hand to hand lazily, watching as the darts knocked into one another and against the glass, gleaming and animating the light inside the murky liquid. I leant against the doorway, steam rolling out from underneath and around the door in plumes, swirling and gradually dissipating in the main chamber. "A man in Cornwall discovered a fountain he calls 'The Fountain of Life'. The water has properties of silver and other minerals; it _does_ work wonders on the human body, but reeks havoc on a vampire's. I made my way down there a few months ago and..._borrowed _a few bottles. The bolts inside are blessed, made from a silver crucifix, kept in silver-tainted water for weeks on end and...I have a belief of sorts in the purifying effects of crystals, so...a little paganism never hurt anyone,"

"You cast spells?" I laughed. Molly seemed to find this funny also; I didn't need to see her face to know that her mouth was twisted in that usual lopsided, sad smile.

"I suppose I do, yes. But, I think the crystals work, to an extent, even if I miss—which rarely happens—and it hits them in an arm or even an ankle, they would have quite a lot of trouble standing right or even existing for more than a week." The sound of water being wrung out from her hair reached my ears and shortly after the shower was turned off and the sound of water dripping onto the tiled floor professed Molly's drying and dressing. "Those bolts are as lethal as you or I, the arrow-head is ridged and as the bolt is fired they spin, imbedding in the victim deeper than any ordinary bullet or arrow. And finally, if they do attempt to pull the bolt out—which, the imbeciles always do— the arrowhead splits away, remaining inside the freak until they turn to dust or ask someone to cut it out."

"Quite ingenious weapons then, may I ask who designed them?"

"Me, of course, I designed them and Stephen helped me engineer them, once he showed me how to do them I started making them myself. Of course, Stephen had to leave the making of the arrowheads to me and couldn't touch them, but still..." Molly fell silent, humming to herself again, the sound of her brushing her teeth and drumming her hand on the counter accompanying it.

"Where did you find these pure silver crucifixes?"

"I collected them from when I was younger, I had over one hundred when I made these, I still have enough to last me five or so years." I pushed the door open slowly, checking to make sure she was decent, I didn't want to offend or embarrass her, did I?

Her long red hair hung in a wet braid down her back and the midnight-blue attire looked slightly damp in places from her still dripping hair. "So, are we going to find ourselves a Joseph tonight or tomorrow night?" She asked, following her question with her rinsing her mouth out with water and turning away from the mirror.

"Depends, do you feel up to it?" Molly raised her eyebrow.

"I'm getting bored just thinking about doing nothing. Er, be careful with those." she remarked, noticing the jar in my hand, I grinned wickedly dropping it and catching it easily. Molly arched an unimpressed eyebrow. "More fool you, you'd be the one crying over spilt silver, not I." She smirked, her nose wrinkling, as it did when she raised her mouth at the corners to smile.

"Whereabouts does this Joseph live?"

"Berkshire, he moved to Swan, a lane near the city centre four years ago with his partner, Sammy," Molly slipped past me, noticeably giving as wide a berth as she could in the door way. Men seemed to annoy and disgust her, why? I would probably never find out. Though, I would say one thing, she was quite entertaining. Unlike Seras, she enjoyed a chase and a fight, she relished releasing her wrath upon her victims, toyed with them until they might let slip their plans or some secret she needed to know. The fact that she branded her victims was all the more proof of her subconscious desire to cause pain; she wanted her victims to live in fear and anticipation so that when the time came for their timed demise they would be all the more afraid and all the more fun to toy with.

The pendant swung around her neck, catching the light and gleaming lethally, like the eyes of a fox before slyly catching up with its prey and ripping out their jugular. Molly may always say she did not enjoy their pain and their fear, the fighting and possibility of injury; but everything about the way she acted without fighting and skulking proved her wrong. She walked as one would on a battlefield, her eyes forever looking for enemies or threats, her hands swinging lightly at her sides and fingers poised in such a way that would show their readiness to snatch up the gun on her thigh and blow an attacker to hell. Though, unlike me, she tried as hard as she could to mask this little fact, tried desperately to appear normal and not the slightest sadistic or biased.

"Would Seras like to join us?" She asked, her cold tones chilling to an unfortunate eavesdropper.

"We could ask..." We walked in step up the stairs towards the guards offices.

"We're nearing the Guard's offices, why?" Molly asked.

"Police girl has a habit of skulking around the guards offices and barracks when she is not doing anything,"

"Aaah, lonely, eh? Hmm, Perhaps I could have a quick chat with the Captain?" I remained as blank as possible to this statement, though it went without saying that I was annoyed at having to hang around a guard's office for even a moment longer than necessary.

I walked through the wall, Molly preferring to use the door as humans did, their habitual opening a closing of doors quite comic to me, I who could move through walls and shadows swiftly and soundlessly, while they stumble at a creaking door and clicking doorknob.

"Police-girl, we have a job to do," Seras sat at a small table with a group of Wild Geese, playing some card game, her short spiky hair messier than usual prompting her continuous and pointless grooming due to annoyance at losing. She looked up briefly from the game, if only to show her recognition of my entrance. _I suppose he's saved my skin in a way, one more game and I would've been skint for weeks! _

"I think you should know when you're beaten, Seras," Molly added, folding her arms and circling the table at a little distance, cigarette smoke swirled around the men's heads as they carried on playing.

"I'm not beaten, Molly." Seras answered tersely, setting her cards down finally and exhaling dejectedly, "Fine, I'm out,"

"Thought so, perhaps we could win your money off you tomorrow evening, eh, Seras?" A stocky guard chortled, "Full house, cough it up, guys." He exhaled smoke into the cloud above their head. Molly choked slightly.

"You know, humans have a short life span anyways, it's quite comic watching you smoke away year after year, even funnier when people like myself tell you of this and you carry on smoking, hell-bent on self-destruction." Molly's eyes flashed. The officer scoffed, _Soppy cow, thinks she can get off telling me what to do! She'll be dead before I am, can't even handle herself on the battlefield, look at those scars! _

"Hey, Graham," The officer in question, and also the officer mentally-insulting Molly turned to face her, cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, "next time you feel the need to insult me, I suggest you do it to my face. I despise cowards." She paused for a moment, her mouth set in its usual down-turned expression, her eyes shining almost pityingly, "and have a talk with a doctor about those coughing fits." The officer blinked. _How the bloody hell did she know..._

Molly gagged, nose wrinkled in disgust as she choked again, "Urgh, I don't know how you can smoke those things." Molly exited through the door swiftly, blue overcoat disappearing around the doorway. Seras straightened up her hair, "So, where are we going?"

"Berkshire, we have a little interrogation to attend to." I smiled wickedly. Perhaps this evening would be quite entertaining after all...

**A/N: Hope this is alright, I thought it was a little too long. Tell me what you think, send in a review, even! It really makes my day! Thank you to all those that reviewed the previous chapter, your reviews prompted me to finish off this chapter :P Anyway, I'm knackered! Niiiight**

**And thank you, lots, Marie! **


	5. The Informant

**Chapter 5**

**Alucard:**

**A/N:** Hope we're all ok with what's going on so far. The storyline is set and I don't need to worry about writer's block :P Well, writer's block only comes from when you start to get bored with a story anyway- and there is no chance I'll get bored with this :D I enjoy writing Alucard too much. warning: tres long.

-&-

Little Blue sat down on a bench, the centre of the city was almost completely silent, save the distant shouting of rowdy drunkards and violent football fans. It was a beautiful night and even the thick smog of the city could not cover the stars shining with their compliant comrade the moon; the sky was a deep blue with dashes of grey and black from clouds and smog and the breeze was gentle but still as chilling as the usual January-early February air. Buildings towered over our trio, the windows glistening like dew upon a lily blossom and the square we occupied was a large mosaic with marble benches underneath caged trees. A modern sculpture stood in the centre of the square and Molly seemed to be regarding it curiously, turning her head to see it in a new light cast from the moon and stars and the street lamps over the practically empty roads. Beetle-like cars crawled past us, pale faces from behind tinted windows scrutinising our bizarre presence in their city. "It's quiet." Molly whispered, possibly feeling the need to whisper because of the silence around us and stifling us.

"No-one wants to go out with the Berkshire killings going on." Seras answered sitting down beside Molly and scratching her leg lazily. "Where the hell is this Joseph guy?"

"I didn't tell him we were meeting him, Seras," Molly answered, her voice a flat tone of annoyance, "He comes this way from the research park down past Garbett's Road,"

"And how do you know that?" I asked. "Since the last time you were following him, his movement could have changed." Looking through my sunglasses at the sculpture before me, I noticed how incredibly...obtuse the artist must have been. Surely, they must be simple to think that this mass of shapes and holes and curves represents a city and its inhabitants.

"It hasn't changed. I can hear him." Molly stood up, her overcoat swishing as she sprinted towards a figure exiting an alley between two banks. No scream or shout followed, just the sound of glass breaking and someone dropping some suppressible object, which half bounced out from the shadows until the light from a nearby streetlamp showed a bag of blood.

"W-what do you want, Molls?" Came a weak voice.

"We just want a chat,"

"_**We?!**_" He shrieked as Molly took him by the arm, bent down and piled the temporarily discarded bags and bottles into her arms. She dragged Joseph, a tall, lean albino, across the road and escorted him to where I stood in front of the statue. Seras stepped up beside me, _Oh, we definitely needed three people to handle __**this **__guy! _She thought sourly, she folded her arms and pouted in her annoyance. "Who's 'we'? I-is this about that girl? Because I swear, I swear she said she was fine with it, honestly. I remember what happened last time." His pink eyes flashed with fear as he scratched his chest where no doubt the brand lay, marking his disgrace. "I don't want to annoy _you_, Molly." He stopped his rambling and stared at me, immediately he spun and started to run. _Shit! What the hell is she doing getting Hellsing involved? I'm too young to go to hell! _

"Do you want to—?" Molly started to ask, I grinned obliging in catching our prey. It was an easy catch, of course, but I enjoyed inflicting as much terror in him as possible. I caught the back of his shirt as he carried on running, the buttons on his shirt ripping and popping off in his enthusiasm.

I laughed, "Do you expect to get away from me, Joseph?" Joseph whimpered, swinging his arms around in a desperate bid to sprout wings and fly away. I sighed, throwing the pathetic individual across the road like one would a pen or book, his body skidding across the mosaic floor and rammed into the statue.

Molly sauntered over to where Joseph lay hunched over and moaning, she knelt down in front of him as he started to scramble away from her. She, like me, caught onto his collar easily and pulled him down onto the floor, the ripped shirt showing the painful looking blackened branding directly over his heart. Molly pulled out her faithful silver dagger and held it over his heart. This had an immediate effect, Joseph stopped moving and looked up pleadingly, "C'mon, I have Sammy to think about, don't do that!" Molly slipped the dagger back into her boot.

"Well, now I have your attention: Joseph, this is Seras Victoria and Alucard, we want some information," Joseph relaxed.

"Just information?" Molly nodded, taking off her top-hat for a moment only to ruffle up her hair and return the hat to her head. "Well, I think I can, er, help you there. Evening, Miss." He inclined his head to Seras and pulled himself up onto his feet. "Well, actually, I don't know what information you wan-" Once again he eyed me fearfully, "May I ask why you brought him?"

Molly raised her eyebrow, "I don't like repeating things." she answered giving a twisted smile. She jerked her head over her shoulder, "C'mon, your place is on Saint John's Way, right?"

"No, Saint Mary's Road," Joseph answered, "I can take those," He took the bottles from her bag and lead us onto a side street and through an industrial estate, Joseph was incredibly jittery and afraid, he seemed to make it a habit of his to look over his shoulder at me, the same puzzled and fearful look in his eyes. "Sammy...er...isn't used to company, so...just be a little quiet." he directed this at me, "Sammy doesn't know who you are...so, just don't do anything that gives away...anything." He flinched, turned back around.

"Joe," Molly asked, as I flanked the other side of him, Seras grumbling behind us. "I don't suppose you've heard about the killings?" Joseph paused, a look of relief flooding his features.

"_That's _what you want to know! Yes, yes I have. Nasty business that. Sammy knew one of the girls," We reached a street of Edwardian terraced houses, the gardens all immaculately taken care of and ringed with the same stone wall with exactly the same style gate. But, Joseph seemed not to be leading us to any one of these identical houses, instead he motioned for us to walk up a gravel driveway to the only individually designed house in the whole road. The windows over-looking the street were far more modern looking, the front door not blue or green, but white with two long panels of glass, the glass glazed save the flowers curling in a pleasant design. The glass caught the moonlight and reflected it back beautifully, showing the dimly lit corridor with the same modern theme.

"You'll have to excuse us, we weren't expecting co-" He fell silent at seeing mine and Molly's uninterested faces and Seras' 'Can we get this over-with' attitude. Joseph unlocked the door, "Sammy, Sammy, sweetie, I'm back- I've got take-out," My lips twitched into a smirk at the albino's idea of take-out.

A short dark-haired man appeared from a doorway which must have led to the living room as the faint sound of a television could be heard softly muttering in the background. The boy- as, from second looks there was nothing at all manly about him- stepped up on tip-toes to kiss Joseph and upon seeing us blushed. I raised my eyebrows from underneath my hat and sunglasses, perhaps I was being old-fashioned, but I was not keen on spending more time than necessary with Joseph and his partner.

The partner in question had fragile features and looked more feminine than Molly herself, with long dark eyelashes and unblemished skin he seemed to be a cherub carved from ice or marble. "Sammy, this is Miss Molly, Seras and er, Patrick." Once again my lips twitched into a smile, Joseph felt so compelled to shield his partner from the possibility of knowing my existence or my origin, now why would he want to do that.

Sammy held out his hand, Molly shook it briefly, taking off her hat and bowing her head to him, "Pleasure to finally meet you, Sammy, Joseph has told me all about you." Molly's lips betrayed a lopsided smile, her eyes glistened with...a knowing look? How refreshing to see that hunter's eyes gleam without her being in immediate peril.

"Oh, strange, Joey's said nothing about any of you, Molly," Sammy smiled apologetically, "Sorry, come in," he closed the door behind us and ushered us into the kitchen.

"Would you like anything? Blood?" He asked Molly, "Oh, you have a heart-beat- coffee?"

"Water would be good, thank you," Molly answered sitting down in a chair at a wooden table beside a kitchenette, Seras followed suit, sitting next to her and I decided to stay standing to keep a better eye on the homosexual pair.

"Patrick, Seras, would you like some blood? We have some AB negative, if you like."

"Hmm, a little snack might be quite refreshing," I answered. Sammy disappeared into a utilities room and reappeared with several bottles and glasses, pouring generous portions into four glasses and sliding the cups in front of their respective drinkers. Seras wrinkled her nose slightly, "Sorry, do you not like AB negative?" Sammy asked nervously.

"No, I-"

"Excuse her, she finds it hard to drink blood like any normal vampire." I interjected scornfully, Seras mumbled under her breath.

"Just 'cause I'm not into that kinda thing..."

"So, information!" Molly broke the uncomfortable silence that almost immediately ensued, clapping her hands together and raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"Well, what do you want to know exactly?" Molly sneered at Joseph.

"Joseph, now you know I hate idiocy," Molly sighed, sitting back in her chair and crossing her legs, "I want to know names...any new faces on the circuit." Joseph laughed shortly.

"When you say circuit you make it sound like some kind of game or—I'm sorry, I—go ahead." Molly's jaw twitched.

"Perhaps you've seen new men in clubs? Heard something? Noticed changes?" Joseph sat down at the breakfast bar, drinking from a wine glass thoughtfully, Sammy had disappeared into the utilities room where he was putting away the bottles and bags of blood, where Joseph had gotten the blood remained a mystery, though the smell of hospitals still clung to his clothes. "Depends, do you know the profile?" Joseph asked, standing back up and moving to a drawer in the kitchen, he returned with a lit cigarette in his mouth.

"Four guys, geeky or nerdy, malicious and hateful," Molly answered, shrugging.

"Oh, I've seen some guys like that, heard some crazy shit too..." He frowned at Molly's disgusted look, she eyed the cigarette in repulsion, "Sorry, forgot you don't li- It's not like it can kill me." He laughed.

"It may kill _me_ though." Molly shot back coldly. Joseph stumped the cigarette out in an ashtray in front of Seras, the smoke swirling up into Seras' face which did not improve her mood, she waved her hand, glaring at the two vampires tensely.

"Right, about two weeks back, Sammy and I were at that nightclub past Witherspoon's," at the blank look on Molly's face he added, "the one with those fancy lights that 'play havoc on your eyes'." Molly nodded, recognition spurring him on with his story, "Three guys were standing by the bar talking to this smaller, weedier looking kid. The first three were obviously vampires, and not we vampires -bastards, the kid seemed uneasy, but slowly they started to...coerce him, I suppose."

"They left together, the four of them." Sammy interjected, sitting beside Joseph and holding his hand, "A week later we see them together again and they're all vampires."

"Descriptions?" Molly asked apathetically exhaling and checking her nails in growing boredom.

"The first one, the one that seemed to be heading this coercion, was tall and blond wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket. He left with a red-head. Another had curly brown hair and was a little twitchy, another, perhaps twitchier still, was a red head wearing white trousers and a white shirt." Joseph was interjected by Sammy, obviously, by his next statement, the more effeminate of the two.

"He seemed to want to look the part, but was obviously getting nowhere: all his clothes were out of season." Sammy chuckled.

"And the kid was short with straight black hair, looked like one of those guys who never quite fits in, gets picked on in college. Y'know?" Molly nodded.

"Sounds like our guys, Alu- Patrick." I laughed, slipping my sunglasses into an inside chest pocket.

"Have you heard who's taken Phil's place in Ipswich?" Joseph paused.

"A woman," Molly frowned, "I know, it's unusual, that's what I thought. I don't know her name, but it's a woman." Molly bit her lip thoughtfully, sitting back in her chair and gazing into space in contemplation.

"A girl I worked with was one of the victims. Her name was Anya, she spoke with a thick Bulgarian accent, knew only basic English, hated herself and her job." Molly stood up, leaving her top-hat on the table and walked around me to look out of the window, "I hate freaks," She whispered.

"They're not exactly on my Christmas card list either, Miss Molly." Joseph answered. An uneasy silence shortly ensued, the distant ticking of a clock and the rustling of a pet of some sort, probably a cat, curling up in the utilities room somewhere the only break in the stillness. Joseph cleared his throat, pointedly directing this at Molly, but she remained at the window and I watched as her eyes glazed and her mouth turned down perhaps more so than usual, she seemed downcast. "Miss Molly?" Molly blinked and looked to the source of the disturbance, "We recently bought something you might like, we can only eat it on occasion, but Joseph tells me you really enjoy it..."

"Oh, pray tell,"

"A Spanish sausage..." Molly laughed, giving an infamous lopsided smile and raised her eyebrows. Joseph pulled out a plate of a dark coloured meat and sliced it into thick slices. Molly picked up a slice and popped it into her mouth. Upon tasting the meat she smiled, "Blood sausage." She concluded, she helped herself to a few more slices, licking her fingers and smiling graciously.

"Blood sausage?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. What a strange thing she was. "Human blood?" I asked bemusedly as Molly gave me a look which would've made a human wither like a flower in a strong frost. "_Pig_ blood, it is a Spanish delicacy and one of my favourite meats,"

"There aren't many things you can eat, are there, Miss Molly?" Joseph chuckled, "I remember when I stayed with you and Beatrice, you were so fussy. At the time I thought it was just habit from when you were little, but after the incident with the chocolate-"

"Let's not talk about-"

"I don't think I've seen anyone more pissy, you were sick for weeks!" Molly sighed.

"It is my only weakness," Molly answered coldly.

"You can't eat chocolate?" Seras asked, her eyes round. Molly watched her for a moment, face stoic and then a small smile tilted her lips.

"My dear Seras, neither can you,"

"Yes, but, what I mean to say is you've _never _eaten chocolate?"

"I think we concluded that I did but it did not do well for my body,"

"Did you like the taste, though?" Molly shook her head. "You don't like _chocolate?_" Seras exclaimed, mouth open.

"I don't eat for enjoyment, like most people in England, I eat to satisfy a hunger, to make my body stronger. I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing my taste buds aren't as strong as a humans, but I am guessing,"

"Poor you!" Sammy popped a small slice of blood sausage into his mouth, "I remember when I was human I used to indulge in chocolate far too frequently,"

"That's because you like to enjoy yourself." Joseph whispered softly, caressing his cheek—once again I stifled a notion to voice my opinions of their sinful love of each other. "You're a fun-loving creature." Joseph leaned in, I turned away to see Molly smirking at me, arching her eyebrow. _Not a lover of homosexuality, then? _

_Not particularly, it is not natural. _

_Then why are mens' G-spot in their—_

_I don't want to know, quite frankly, Molly. _She laughed inwardly, the sound much more chilling within her mind than in normal life.

_You are letting me into your mind, Molly. _I concluded,_ do you trust me? _

_Ha! No, you won't get far in my head, Alucard. _

_Really? Is that a challenge? _

_If you wish it to be. _Her eyes were cold as we looked at each other, her face not betraying a single emotion and as blank as her mind—Dare I jump headlong into a head like hers? It was a challenge, I've always loved a challenge, and a good fight.

The usual extrasensory method would not do, usually I would simply listen, but now I would push into her head, which may have dire consequences for her if I were to break any mental barrier she had created in the years of her existence. Her smile widened as she felt my slow push at the mental wall between us, _Come on, give me a challenge! _ She sniggered. Well, if she wanted me to challenge her also and possibly cause her mental pain, who was I to say no?

Breaking into someone's head is not unlike taking a hammer and breaking glass—the mind is that fragile—but breaking into Molly's head felt like...how to describe? Her mind was not fragile like glass but sturdy and as steadfast as a diamond and just as interesting and precious. Our minds were wrapped in a great onslaught, mental battle not being my forte—I am inhuman enough to admit that—but neither of us winning. Molly didn't seem too interested in looking into my mind. _My mind was open very briefly just then, you could of snuck in, looked into my head. And yet you didn't, why? _

_Because, Alucard, your thoughts and memories do not interest me, you may have great knowledge in the magical arts, may have great historical knowledge and know all the battle tactics in the world, but I dare not enter your head. _

I chuckled inwardly, _Are you afraid of what you might see? _

_No, I've probably seen it all before, _she shot back, _I just know that if I were to enter your head you may not let me leave and I would forever be trapped in there...and I haven't the ability to dance between sanity and insanity as I have heard you can, so I would be...fucked. _

Her hesitation did not deter my attempts, I pushed at her mind harder, she faltered, a mental crack building and stretching, _Not tonight, _and just as the crack had slowly stretched out, so did small loops of her mind until the crack was no more and my attempts were all thwarted. _Are you aware of the consequences if I were to get into your head, Molly?_

_Oh, I am more than aware of them, but at the same time you may help me unlock memories that are, for some reason, forbidden to me. _

Once again, we fought, trying to break each others barriers, Molly to make me falter and to render me mentally useless, me to seize her mind for my own- something that I entertained amusedly while we fought. She faltered again, the glass snapped and a crack, wider than the last, cried for my entry. Upon entering her mind I found myself in a circular room, slowly growing wider and taller, more doors appearing in the spaces until they were but specks on a horizon. _Nice trick, Molly. _I chuckled. No reply.

It was then that I noticed what her mind truly was like, as I walked towards a door the door would move away, _Are you playing games with me? _

_No, the first part was only the beginning of the defenses, you have many more to go..._

But this defense betrayed so much of her mind: the ivory of the walls, not quite white enough to be pure; the beige of the floor showing neutral thought, unbiased decisions; and the brilliant burgundy, betraying her potential power, of the ceiling, which was more like an immense sky. The doors were motley mixture of colours: silvers, reds, teal, grey, black, turquoise, pink and green, the majority of which being red, silver and black.

_What other defense could I conjure? _

_Oh, good, I was starting to get bored. _

_You weren't, you're intrigued. You're in my head, I can feel your interest buzzing around. _

_I don't want to stand here talking, Blue, I'd like to see what your mind has to offer. _

_I'm not offering anything, Red. _And at that, water rushed in from underneath the silver doors, the water murky, creatures writhing within its cold grasp, leaches slithering over my boots and nipping at my ankles, _I'm sure you can be more creative than that. _

_Oh, I don't know...you haven't seen the worst of it yet, you'll regret stepping in here, Red. _

The leaches were tenacious beings, not one would let go, the pain bearable, but the feeling of mental exhaustion taking over.

The previous crack appeared between two silver doors, threads of liquefied glass wrapped around my arms and pulled at me, dragging me out of the water, _Have I overstayed my welcome? _

Even with the leaches at my shins, I still had strength enough to pull free from the bonds and launch myself at the nearest door, which, in Molly's surprise, did not retreat. Even better was the fact that she had not locked it. The doorknob was silver, burning my palm but only annoying me rather than inflicting unbearable torment, and over that feeling of annoyance came the anticipation- finally I would see into her head.

The door opened and all went black, still, quiet. _Is this a new tactic? _Silence. Whispering came from all sides until it built up into a great crescendo and the sudden burst of light, colour, sound and smell surprised me in its sudden clarity, bursting out like a self-destructing star. _"My little Cherub, I will not help you." _

"_B-but...I c-can't!"_

"_You will!" _

Two dazzlingly green eyes stared out at me, the two orbs glistening as he smirked, _"You made the mess, didn't you?"_

"_No...you did! If you hadn't ever—"_

"_Your existence was an accident, if I could I would rip you from the earth and cast you out into oblivion where you belong!"_ Silence followed and the darkness returned, I waited, wondering.

"_My beautiful baby boy,"_

"_Not baby,"_

"_Then what are you?"_

"_Lion!" _A black haired boy gazed up, large eyes round with adoration and love, I could feel her pride and her need to protect him and love him; though I could feel no love, an emotion that is so alien to me I would have been able to pinpoint even an inkling of it.

Molly seemed to hate my prying into these memories, her mind convulsed underneath and around me and all manner of ropes, chains and other bonds flew at me through the doorway wrapping around me tightly, smothering me but I fought them easily until a pain built up in my palm and in my surprise she was able to rip my from her mind.

My hand was burning, I could smell the burning flesh and feel the usual tingle as my skin healed itself, burning, recoiling, healing repeatedly until I looked down and I was sitting directly opposite Molly, our faces a few inches from one another and in my hand I clutched her pendant.

"Master, what were you doing?" Seras asked from beside the counter, her eyes exhausted and the homosexuals nowhere to be seen.

"Having some fun,"

"Couldn't you have done that when we got back? I mean... I've had to sit around fo' the last hour doin' nothing- which I would'a preferred doin' at home,"

"An hour?" Molly asked, her voice cold and slightly breathy- had our mental battle tired her? "Where's Joseph?"

"They're in the living room, I came back in t' check on you," _To make sure you were both still living or unliving. _

Molly started to stand up, but stopped as my hand still clutched the silver pendant, she raised her eyebrow at me, "You can let go, Red," She watched me, face unfathomable and eyes cold. I released her hesitantly, still wondering about what I had seen, what I had heard and how such incidents must have moulded her, why she was the way she was. She straightened up, setting her hat on top of her head, and revisited the window, after a few moments she strode over to the door and escorted herself to the living room, leaving Seras alone with me.

"What were you doing?" She asked curiously, stepping forwards and I sat back and crossed my ankle over my knee.

"Reading each other's minds,"

"She read your mind?"

"No, but she seemed to have been able to manipulate me into clutching her pendant to startle me out of her mind, a good defense if you ask me." Seras sat down next to me, watching me. She knew me, not too well but well enough, and knew that my mind was my own. "Did you want her to read your mind?"

"No, but I wanted to see hers." I looked down to my hand, flexing my fingers as slowly the 'M' disappeared and my skin returned to its usual pallor beneath the white glove.

"Why?"

"Because I have never been able to hear her thoughts as I do anyone else's and I was intrigued,"

"O...kay, are your questions answered?" Seras asked. I looked up from my hand to see her looking down at her knees and nibbling her lower lip. I laughed shortly.

"Well, Police girl, anyone would think you were jealous!" I ruffled her spiky hair, she looked up, eyes round.

"N-no...I just..." Seras stopped and glared at me, realizing I was toying with her. "You're mean." She stood back up and followed the same path into the living room.

The couple sat on the sofa, Sammy curled up next to Joseph while Molly sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of them with her arms folded and Seras lounged in an armchair by the modern fireplace. "Thanks, Joseph, no hard feelings about the surprise attack, okay?" Molly's voice was hollow, one would always note that people put on a light and sunny disposition when saying farewells, but Molly did no such thing, that would be lying, wouldn't it?

"No worries, you have a good evening, Miss Molly and give my regards to Bea-" He stopped himself, "Say hi to Barnibus for me next time you see him,"

"That'll be a while; the air just keeps getting thicker with rot,"

"I don't get it, I don't feel anything different," Sammy's voice was weak with tiredness.

"Because you've both numbed yourselves to it." Molly finished off a plate of blood sausage and stood up, "Good evening, thank you for all your help."

I was the first to leave, wanting to leave the "love-nest" as quickly as possible, with Molly and Seras in tow. "All the bodies were found around the industrial site and Joseph says he saw them heading in that direction with the red-headed girl." Molly and Seras caught up with my wide stride, "and I have the perfect plan."

_Oh, won't this be fun! _Seras thought sarcastically.

**A/N: Thank you for all that reviewed :P And I hope you loved this- is it a triple whammy? I think it is! :O:O (gasp) Quite late this evenin, maybe I should sleep, maybe I should curl into a ball, as I usually do, and just doze away...NAH! I feel like dancing, but our house is being done up at the moment and the music would wake everyone up ¬¬ Hey, here's a brain buster for you, what is love? Why do we feel love? It's not really a brain-buster, more a matter of opinion :P Anywhooooosey...**

**Thank you reviewers and readers and thank you Marie, Lady of betaington! :D I hope I didn't scare you with all those chapters I sent. **

**Hey- everyone take a cookie (hands out cookies) **


	6. The Dragon's Den

**Alucard**

**A/N: Hey again, I'm on study leave etc, so I have forever to write (and revise, obviously, and practise guitar) for those that don't know- I BEAT GUITAR HERO III!! ( on easy, ahem) but still...it's an accomplishment... this is in Alucard's POV, yaaaay. and, tell me, do you think I write him too Victorian/pre-20th century...anyway, review, my lovelies, REEEEEEEVIEW! (ALIEN QUADRILOGY RUUUUUULES!! GOLIC IS MY CRAZY DRAGON-LOVER!! AND ELGYN WAS NEVER MEANT TO DIE HIS VOICE IS TOO PURDY- would act alucard well, with an english accent, obviously :P)**

**Marie- you rock mule schools! (excuse the craziness- gaaaah!)**

**Oh, and: Dark Sanctuary, take a look at them, they do really gothic tracks which, I reckon, would REALLY work for Hellsing 5...at the right scenes, anyway. And, another thing, squirrels! How are they helpful in living? They keep digging up my carrots! gaah! and beans! and RASPBERRIES! ¬¬ beth is not amused. (yes, I am a green-thumbed hippy if you read my profile you'd see the split personality I have going on snoopy dance) **

**(WARNING: INSANELY LONG, SORRY!) ABOUT FIFTEEN PAGES :P (Marie, I know you'll hate me for it...but reviewers love it- so can you pretty please put up with my insane typing? Thank you! huggles!)**

-**&**-

The night was cold and crisp, human breath creating miniscule crystals of vapour in the air to join the twinkling stars and glowing face of the moon. Clouds drifted aimlessly along the indigo velveteen sky, stars winking behind soft blankets. Harsh winter winds caught my coat and hair and my hat, brushing hair and coat away from me and buffeting my hat weakly. I smiled; it was, truly, a beautiful night—one to remember, at the very least. Below me stretched the corrugated or flat grey roofs, sloping here and there only occasionally. Silent and still vans lay in front of large yellow garage doors and the alley-ways and roads criss-crossed like great maze before me, a maze in which prey could easily get cornered, trapped, captured, and devoured.

Said prey wandered around like a lost lamb, short pleated skirt whipping around tapering, white thighs and her red bunches of hair blowing in the wind as she looked around cautiously, like a bird coming out of its nest after an ambush from the neighbour's cat. A school bag swung rhythmically against her leg, as she walked back down the alley she had come from, through the darkness—still visible to me—and under the yellow light of a lamppost. I jumped to a nearer roof, following her easily and stealthily across the corrugated roof and onto a taller sloping flat roof; to look down onto the street below.

I could hear her mumbling to herself, could feel the screaming pulse in her veins: she could feel that she was being followed, knew that women had gone missing here, been found dead nearby. My eyes scanned the alleys and side-streets, spotting the silently sniggering outline of a freak come for his dinner, I could see him lick his lips as he scanned her, the small school girl pacing underneath the light.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked, his mock concern patronising the teenager, I shook my head, she would not fall for that...

"I..um...sorry, not meant to talk to strangers..." Clever girl, I applauded inwardly.

"It's just me." A blonde freak stepped out into the street and under the light, brushing back a floppy fringe from his face and flashing a dazzling smile at her, "It's not like I can take you off myself, you'd put up a fight, no doubt, and scream a lot and I'm not up for that much of a fight, y'know?"

The school girl angled away from him, nodding, still uneasy. I could smell fear; the thick scent of it clung to the air, though a vaguely deceptive air hung around the pair, the fear far outweighing it. "So, why are you still in uniform?" He asked coolly, still smiling congenially.

"I'm...I had detention, then I went to Gary's house..." She whispered back, edging away from him. He became annoyed, the air now crackling with his hostility.

"Are you scared of me, girlie?" He asked, coldly.

"N-no, why would I be s-scared?" She stuttered, stumbling back from him as his eyes gleamed preternaturally under the light, she gasped and spun to run and he immediately pounced on her and dragged her into the alley she had formerly appeared from.

He pinned her to a wall and snarled in her face, "Are you scared now?"

"Yes!" She gasped as he twisted her wrists up behind her back and pushed her face against the cold wall, she squirmed, "You're hurting me!"

"Oh, I'm hurting you, am I?" He sniggered, using his free hand to lift up one of her bunches and he licked her neck, "You taste...not exactly appealing," He sighed, "But you'll be fun to play with, won't you?"

"No, I'm just...me, I...please, don't do this," She kicked as hard as she could and managed to knock her head back into his nose, he let go of her and she proceeded to flee, panting and gasping as she stopped at the fork in the street, shaky breaths signaling half-sobs, not knowing how to get away. He pinned her to the floor and slammed his fist into her face, subsequently knocking her out and I jumped across the roofs as he picked her up and made his way to the lion's den.

The wind whipped my coat behind me, casting shadows across the roofs that seemed to contort, snarl and snap as a fight neared. The pair turned down Saint John's Road, and into an Edwardian terraced house's basement apartment, where the steps going down were darker in the middle, stained evenly with life itself—blood. I waited for a few moments before entering, taking my time on the stairs and running my fingers along the cold barrel of my faithful Jackal.

I materialised through the door, my eyes immediately taking in the squalid living conditions, wallpaper rolling off of the walls, dark stains on the wood work of the floor and on the walls. A girl's muffled screams came from the room next to me, and I knew from the smell that they'd already started to toy with her.

"C'mon, forget that one! I want to play with this new one!" Came the familiar voice of the blond attacker.

"No, we've already started on this one, I'm enjoying myself, we can save that one for dinner later," Came a second voice.

"Guys," mumbled a third, "how about we take two for tonight? Have a celebration about all this money coming in."

"Mmm, I like that idea." The fourth voice chimed in, a twitchy and nervous edge to it presenting his nervous disposition to me so easily. I turned my head to a door at the end of the hall, where murmurs, sobs and muffled shouts could be heard, most unexpected.

"Yeah, I've knocked this one ou—say, don't you think we should get Corinne? I mean, she looks awfully like-"

"So, you want to play?" The sharp click of Molly's gun told me safety was off and all hell would break loose. And I was invited. I stepped through the door, withdrawing the Jackal, "Good evening."

"What the-" The four of them pulled out knives and guns, aiming shots at Molly and I. The Black haired youngster was the first to go as he advanced on me foolishly.

"I have to say, you look dazzling, Molly." I sniggered, toying with one of the freaks and plucking his arms off like wings off a fly's back, before flicking one of the bunches.

"Dazzling?" She scoffed, "More like cute and huggable." she pulled a face of disgust as I sniggered.

"Molly?" Asked the redhead before Molly shot him in the head and chest, showering the curling wallpapered walls with blood and vampire-pulp. The blond girl tried desperately to pull herself off the table in the middle of the room, gagged and bound and clad in nothing but her underwear, chest bare revealing a lightly slashed bosom, bruised from being roughly handled.

The final freak, the blond, was keen on living longer than his comrades and as Molly put her guard down for a split second- though even a split second can be a hell of a lot of opportunity for a desperate freak- he jumped upon her, yanked her gun from her hand and held it to her head. "Don't move, arsehole." He barked, eyes fiery with hatred and the will to survive.

"Or what, you'll kill her? By all means, do, she is dispensable and easily replaced." Molly seemed unfazed by this statement and also by her current position.

"Fine, the bitch is as good as dead anyway." I noticed his nose wrinkle as his mouth and bared teeth came down to the right of her neck, not desirable place to feed- the blood would flow far too quickly and kill her far too soon for any fun- but obviously he didn't want to swap weapon hands. Molly reacted quickly; jerking her shoulder away, his teeth slipped into her skin, and she gripped onto his hand as he shoot, the bullet burying itself under her collarbone, a grimace flashed upon her face. The gun was freed from his grip and Molly turned and shot him in the face, unceremoniously spraying the girl in the freak's blood.

Adrenaline gone, her heartbeat slowed and she gripped her shoulder, gasping as blood slowly stained the borrowed blouse at both shoulders, the bite superficial but the gunshot wound to her shoulder pouring blood. She slipped, gripping onto the table for support, closing her eyes and brought in sharp breaths, head falling back to reveal her neck.

Her blood was rank, putrid and almost poisonous smelling, the deep burgundy blood blooming into poppies over her breasts, "Blue?" I asked, replacing my gun back in the inside of my coat, watching for the first signs...

"Yes, give me a moment," She stood back up, letting out a breath and, believe it or not, pushed her fingers into the bullet wound, frowning deeply as her hand became slick with blood.

"That looks like it hurts." I stepped forwards, watching as she rummaged around as if going through a bag.

"It does."

"Stopping toying with the wound, Molly, it will only get worse." my nose started to wrinkle as the full scent of her blood attacked my nostrils. "You stink."

Molly glared up at me, " If I smelt appealing I'd be a vampire-feast!" She snapped. Finally she gave up searching for the bullet and dipped into her combat boot, blood now soaking and staining the floor. She pulled out her silver knife and started toward the wound. My hand snaked out and pulled it from her grasp, "You will not touch that wound any longer, Molly," She watched me for a moment.

Biting her lip briefly, she answered, "I do it all the time, I've cut out arrow-heads, bullets, sewed up my own wounds for years and there's nothing wrong with me, is there?"

"The fact that you seem so accustomed to pain should speak for itself, you don't cry, whimper...it's almost as if you were never stabbed at all," Molly gave me a lopsided smile.

"Pain is only weakness, and I already have natural weaknesses so it is best to defeat the weaknesses that can be opposed." I shook my head, took off my sunglasses to look at her more closely, to find any tell-tale signs of her pain.

I searched her hairline for any perspiration, searched her brow for wrinkles, pupils for dilation, eyes for tears but found nothing. Intriguing. A whimper brought Molly and I back to reality to see the woman struggling and screaming at her bonds, "Let's get you out of here, shall we?" Molly turned to the woman, blood dripping onto her abdomen as she leant over her, "Now I'll have no screaming, I hate screamers." she untied the gag. And the young girl screamed in her face.

"Monsters! I'd rather be skinned alive! Get awa—"

"Screamer." Molly's jaw twitched and she threw a punch into the side of her head, I caught her wrist and moved her off the table, placing her back on her feet like one would taking a child off a chair, and locked gazes with the girl, she quieted down.

"_**You are safe, be quiet..." **_In her mental state she put up no fight against me and her pupils dilated, her irises turning a slightly reddish colour as she nodded, "**Go to sleep**." her eyes closed.

Molly's curiosity spoke without words, her head cocked to one side and mouth slightly parted, "Curious?" I asked.

"Very...wouldn't mind knowing how it is that you did that." she stepped towards the girl and shook her gently.

"She will not wake for quite some time. There is no way for you to achieve the ability of hypnosis to render your victims useless, Blue,"

"Oh, there is," her mouth turned up at one corner, "Who needs hypnosis to render them useless? Knock them out." she gave a dark chuckle as shouts issued from the basement steps, boots hammering on the stone as four Geese came in, followed by Hellsing paramedics. The Wild Geese sighed as they realised there was no need for their presence and instead tended to helping escort the young women out of the basement. I left Molly to her own devices and watched as perhaps twenty or so women and girls came out; they were dirty, disheartened, broken and scared and the room where they had been imprisoned stunk of human waste and disinfectant. The final girl to come out of the room, walked out of her own accord, dirty face streaked with tears.

I looked over my shoulder to Molly and then back again. The girl had dark red hair, blue eyes, she was quite small, petite, even, with a slightly hooked nose; though she has slight differences, the nose being one of them, Molly and the young girl could have been twins. "What day is it today?" She asked, her voice broken and hoarse with sobbing and possibly screaming.

"It's the first of February," I answered, her face fell, her lips trembled and her hand went to her mouth.

"One more day...and….I'd have been in there a month." She sobbed, tears falling down her face. Mentally, I sighed exasperatedly, being locked in a room for a month was not exactly the worst thing they could've done to her. Her clothes were torn, but she was still a virgin, I could smells her untainted blood on her clothes, intoxicating to some but bearable to me. She couldn't have been any older than sixteen; a small, helpless teenager who had wandered into the dragon's den and been burnt.

She stumbled up the stairs to the street where paramedics set about helping the wounded or mentally traumatised. Molly appeared at my elbow, looking off into the direction of the door with me, "Well, Big Red, you seem the type to be calm and contented after a tussle, but you seem, dare I say it? Preoccupied."

"Interested, not preoccupied." I answered, making my way to the medical point where the red-head sat on a stretcher inside the ambulance, having her blood pressure tested as tears trickled down her cheeks. "Good evening." The small girl looked up from the floor, eyes wide as she recoiled from me ever-so slightly.

I had to crouch to enter the little van and sat opposite her on a second stretcher, the other girls were being tended to in small, make-shift surgeries where they could have blood-tests, be vaccinated and the like with more space for the doctors and paramedics to busy about.

"G-good evening, mast- sir." The girls knew I was a vampire; to her, vampires were all the same- they locked humans up in cellar rooms and beat them into calling them 'master,' but I was not so dishonourable and I wished to show her that before asking her any questions.

"How are you? Is there anyone we should contact?" The girls licked her lips nervously, it was tedious, but if it made the weak human talk, it was a necessity.

"Lucy's fine, a little traumatised perhaps, but fine." The paramedic peeled off the pressure gauge and quickly flashed a small light into her eyes, watching as her pupils dilated, "Perfectly healthy." he smiled and disappeared to the next girl who was not so lucky, the air quickly reeking of vomit and blood.

"My sister...but...I was with her when they got me." She turned back to me, eyes wider still, "Is she alright? H-he stabbed her..."

"I don't know, Lucy." Fresh tears filled her eyes; she tried blinking them away and returned her gaze to the tarmac. _Marianne's dead and it's all because of me! Why did I have to look like Her, why did Master have to like the way I looked so much...why? Why __**me**__? Why not someone else?_

"Tell me what happened." She shook her head, eyes closed; lank, greasy and blood-matted hair moving only slightly with her frantic shakes. I stepped forwards and placed a finger beneath her chin, turning her to look up at me, dark blue eyes blood shot and screaming for sleep.

"I can't...I don't want to think about it," _I don't want to go back there..._

"You will have to, sooner or later, Lucy." To her, my eyes may have seemed sympathetic, helpful and pitying even, but she was being hypnotised, what ever she wanted would be reflected back. Because of her traumatised state, I would have to first proceed in pleasing her mentally, find surface thoughts and desires and reflect them back to her, until she was calm enough for me to sneak into her mind without harming her.

"_**Tell me what happened, Lucy, tell me it all," **_

"I can't..."

_**"Tell me and it will ease your pain, it will help. Tell me what happened; tell me, Lucy, Little Lucy Hart, tell me..."**_

"I...I..." Her pupils dilated, her irises reddened and her lips trembled to form words, "_I went out with my sister for the evening...there's a club, Flares, that lets you in if you look pretty enough and old enough, even if you don't...have ID or are...underage_." She was confused with herself, probably asking herself somewhere, 'Why am I telling him this?'. My fingers moved over her face, running along her lips as she told me, "_When we got back...we took a short cut through the Industrial Park, and this blond guy...and a weedy redhead cornered us...They stabbed her...they killed her...and took me...I killed my sister..."_

_**"Yes, but tell me what happened afterwards, Lucy Hart,"**_

_"They took me back to...the cellar room...and they locked me up with these other girls. The blond guy, Master, he...said he wanted to play with me...told me..." _she stopped, mentally begging, _'_please don't make me think about this, please don't make me go back there...please'. _"He told me what he wanted to do to me...how he wanted to...cut me open, bleed me dry, play with my insides...But then the redhead said we should wait, and they left, they were shouting a lot, and then...I don't know how long it was, but these people showed up, Corinne and Matthias and...The Hag, Morgaine. I was brought out to them and they turned to The Hag, she peeled back her hood—at first I thought she was a religious Muslim, but then...she was so disfigured, there seemed no human, or whatever they were, left in her...her eyes looked liked they would fall out."_

_**"Carry on, Lucy, tell me all, tell everything to me...tell me,"**_

_**"**__She shook her head, and they looked at me for a moment before saying it wasn't me, but they wished to take me alive in a month for further interrogation. They said the deal was still as it was, they wished for at least a dozen women by the end of the month and for the next six and then their deal is sealed and they will get what they want..."_

_"__**Did they say what they wanted...? Tell me, Little Lucy Hart,"**_

_**"**__No, they beat me, Master did, and then returned me back to the room. He came back every evening, Master did, beat me in front of the girls, but he beat them more...he only cut me superficially, he raped about half of them, the others he wouldn't touch...he wouldn't touch me, called me his 'Little Angel'...told me to call him Master because I was his property...he hardly fed us, I'm so hungry and thirsty. One of the girls died, I don't know what from, and after that he started giving us more food. The girls hate me, because he beat them more than me, because he never raped me...just...toyed with me, he gave me more food than them, he...was so cruel..."_ She fell silent for a moment, her pupils slowly contracting, showing that the hypnosis was ending.

_**"Lucy, tell me, were there any...noticeable sayings or phrases, places, characteristics, to these people and their conversations?**__" _Her eyes dilated, her irises reddening again.

_"The Hag, Morgaine, when she moved to put the scarves back on...I saw she was wearing a long golden chain with some kind of a pendant on the end, I couldn't see what of because her shawl was in the way, and her hand was burnt...Corinne had black hair with a very long pointed nose and pointed ears, they called her Pixie, and Matthias...he...was a giant. He was taller than...you, maybe...broader, large arms, but handsome and...I felt that I'd do anything for him...he smiled at me and I can't really remember what happened after that..."_

_"__**Thank you,**_ do as the doctors tell you to, Lucy, your family are probably worried. My master will be here in a moment or two to talk to you about your...ordeal." Lucy blinked and nodded at me, eyes now blue and pupils at a normal size. I felt eyes on my back, heard a single beat before I turned around to see Molly leaning against the ambulance door as I stepped out and stretched.

"Interesting little party trick you have there, Red." I laughed shortly, shaking my head. "So, now we know who's the ring-leader for this abduction-spree, Corinne and Matthias—whoever they are."

"You don't know who they are? Have never heard of them?"

"I've heard of Matthias, in passing. We used to talk to our tenants at the Hotel, they told me stories of the Old One, Matthias. Barnibus always laughed and said he knew vampires older, wiser and prettier than him."

"How old is this Matthias?"

"Nearly two hundred I should gather, Barnibus is two-hundred...in four days, actually." I snorted, an infant compared to _some,_ "I must remember to put some flowers down for him." She added quietly. She walked with me back to the car, her wounds still bleeding but she seemed incredibly calm and didn't even notice them.

"Your wounds, have you had them looked at yet?" I asked, only caring because she knew information that was valuable to us and a loss of Molly would mean a loss of leads.

"Yes, sewed up this one myself and the other one I will need something sharp to get at the bullet." she pulled the shirt down over her right shoulder to show the semi-circular wound neatly sewn up.

"Quite a neat cross-stitch." I chuckled, but returned to the main problem, "You were bitten by the vampire, you don't feel at all different? In more pain than usually possible when shot or stabbed?" I turned her to look at me, looking at the wound curiously, noting another scar- old and white- crawling up from her back over her shoulder and underneath the more recent one.

"No, can't say I am." I gripped her chin and made her look into my eyes, her pupils were fine, not glazing, the light of life still dancing behind her eyes. "Do you mind, Alucard?" I felt the muscles along her jaw twitch with agitation, she jerked her head away from me, but my grip was steadfast and she tried slapping my hand away.

"I'm taking you back to the Manor, Hayward or Fauster should see to that wound, both wounds,"

"Doctors?" She snorted, my hand dropped and we resumed walking to the car where Seras and Bernadette where arguing over a scratch down its side. Consequently, we had had to use Pip's car for the ride as the sports car was having its MOT; and Seras, being pestered by Pip on how to drive a 'real' car, may have moved too close to a stone wall and scratched up the paintwork "accidentally". "Doctor's have no concern for the wounded...they find out something is different about you and you're like meat on a slab, carved up, diced and served, with just enough time for you to scream."

"I take it you haven't had a good history with doctors then." She paused.

"I don't know, it's just natural for me to hate them...Blood tests, for instance, are pointless and, might I add, blood is _supposed _to stay _inside_ the body, that's why we are born with blood _inside _us!" She cringed; doubling over for an instant, face briefly contorted in agony, before straightening up, face now unfathomable and blank and never once stopping in her tracks. Annoyance welled up in my chest: quite obviously she was in pain, quite obviously she had been bitten by a freak and quite obviously she needed a doctor and yet she refused! Strange little thing that she was, she was also incredibly stubborn and maybe a little simple.

"I don't care who taught you to drive! It's quite obvious you are incompetent behind zee wheel!" Pip screamed, bouncing up and down **A/N: You know in the manga, when Hirano draws those funny little cartoons with lots of pencilled lines and drawings around them and tries to animate agitation or Pip teasing Seras, think that. No! Think Volume 3, I think it's in Elevator Action 1, where Bernadette is whistling an annoying and "sexist " tune to Seras who interrupts Alucard and Walter's conversation about the last time they went up against the nastys (yes, they're Nastys, not Nazis :P) yes, think those kind of faces and actions, I'll try and represent that in writing, but it'll be tricky, especially in Alucard talk :P **arms waving in the air like a lunatic, Seras angled away from him, calmly filing her nails and whistling to herself. "You're not even listening to me!?" Pip half-screamed, head falling back and growling to the sky, long braid of brown hair messier and swinging behind him.

"Of _course_, I am," Seras answered, using a motherly and rather patronising tone, "you were saying how much of a twat you were for practically jumping on me as I was trying to drive,"

"Yes! You were _trying_ to drive!" Pip strode up to her and gripped her shoulders, shaking her, Seras sighed and held up her hand, showing the poised flicking position of her finger. "You were trying and failing to drive _my _car!"

"Tou!" Seras flicked Captain Bernadette in the face, his nose bled and he fell back on the ground some three meters away from her and the car.

"Bzzzzm!" Pip wiped away the blood over his face viciously, **A/N:Think Elmer Fudd, face-wipe action in Looney Tunes. And if you have no idea what I'm talking about...go with the flow:P **

before balling his fists up, making his body completely rigid and glaring at Seras, who stood calmly filing her nails, one eye smaller due to incessant twitching.

"Police-girl, captain, I think it best you cut short you argument, we need to get Molly back to the Manor,"

The captain, still with his back to us, still rigid and panting like an enraged bull asked, "Oh? Wh—" The captain turned to see us, "--yiyiyiyiyyyyaaaaaa- eiiiiiyaaaaaa!" The Captain's face contorted into almost terror. His voice far too high for a grown man as he protested loudly, "Non! Blood is incredibly...non! Non! Eet stains! And no doubt she'll chuck up! Noon! Vomit and blood mixed! **iya-yeeee! **HOW CAN YOU PUT ME THROUGH ZAT?!" He threw himself at his car, hugging its side, "Seras has already shredded her," The captain whimpered, "non,"

"It's fine, I'll sit on the roof," Molly interjected sarcastically.

"Could you?" The captain asked in all seriousness, standing up and meeting her, "That would be gr-" Molly gripped the side of his face and pushed him out of the way.

"I was being sarcastic!" She opened the car door, the captain jumped up and ran full pelt into the door, Molly gasped as a sickening crunch echoed through the air. Seras' mouth fell open, "Pip...you've taken it to-o-o far, y'know? Molly ain't gonna--uh-oh," Molly, using her unharmed left hand, grabbed onto the captain's front and pushed him out of her way again, opening the door to show off her right-hand's fingers lying against her palm, useless and mangled. Molly was silent, calculating, as she looked at her hand.

"That...was my _best _hand and you've broken the fingers at the knuckle and..." She sucked her teeth before nodding slowly, she spun and threw her left fist into the side of his head, the captain stumbled backwards.

"Shall I drive?" Seras jibed teasingly as the Captain stumbled to the passenger door, "I'll take that as a 'oui'," she grinned and got into the drivers seat. I ducked into the car, sitting parallel to Molly as she stemmed the bleeding of her shoulder with her right hand, careful not to apply any pressure to the broken joints.

"And don't worry about the blouse, Molly," Seras called as she pulled out of the road and headed to the motorway, "I've got a couple more like that." She over-took a lorry, Pip gibbering in the passenger seat for the safety of his car "somewhere," she added under her breath, Molly heard and gave a low chuckle.

"Don't worry; I shall buy you a new one. What size are you? A 12, yes?"

"Er, are you saying I'm fat?"

"Not at all, Seras, simply that you have the figure of a ten and the breasts of a twelve." Molly's eyes shone slightly, another chuckle escaping her lips as she caught sight of Seras' blushing cheeks in the rear-view mirror.

"How are you fairing?" I asked lazily.

"I'm fine, nothing I can't handle with. I'm just having a little trouble not bleeding on the seats," A loud whimper issued from the passenger seat, Molly smiled lopsidedly and sat up in her seat.

"Seras?" Pip asked, in a staccato tone.

"What?" Seras answered back sharply.

"How long until we're back at the manor?"

"Don't know. Depending on how fast this rust-bucket can go..." The captain gave an enraged snarl, "Whether we get stopped by the police and how bad traffic is...I'll say forty-five minutes."

"Miss Molly, you better not bleed on my seat-"

"Oh, shut up!" At that Molly took her blooded and broken hand away from her wound and wiped it down the back of his seat.

"What did you just do?!"

"You'll find out when we get back to Hellsing Manor." Molly answered, face blank as she returned her hand to her wound, "Now we've got the 'bleeding on the seats' tragedy out of the way, we can try and figure out who is ring-leader to all these disappe—" she fell silent for a moment, "Corinne and Matthias and...Who was that other one?" She directed this question at me.

"Morgaine, The Hag." I watched her eyes and face for any signs of recognition, "Have you heard of her?" Molly shook her head.

"Morgaine was King Arthur's half-sister, a witch, who allegedly headed his journey to Avalon." She bit her lip thoughtfully, the deep red turned a shade deeper- if that were possible.

"Do you reckon she is that old?" Seras asked.

"No! God, no! Any vampire living _that _long would have gladly staked themselves on a thousand silver crucifixes, or have gone mad..."

"The fact that half her face was missing may account for her trying and failing to stake herself." I added, "But, a vampire living that long is next to impossible, I have never met a vampire who had exceeded four or five hundred years." _Helen was one of the old ones, shame we can't ask her who this Morgaine is..._

"Barnibus is two hundred...? Soon, I could always ask him when I put flowers on his resting place," I glanced at Molly, her face was now pale; the stench of her blood was intoxicating, the septic and deathly stink reeking out the car, I don't think in all my undead life I have smelt blood so unappealing.

"Whereabouts is his resting place, may I ask?" I enquired, Molly chuckled.

"No, Barney wouldn't like for me to disclose that information to anyone he hasn't met, let alone someone of the Hellsing organization." Her face fell after a few moments. "I haven't seen him in a while..." Her eyes glazed as she looked out of the window, I wished I could step into her head to see those memories, to feel what she felt. It was such an annoyance that I could not fathom her emotions and thoughts as I could anyone else's, such a bother that I was limited to how far I could delve into her mind—and even then I had to be practically escorted to the places where I was allowed to go. Boundaries and I were not well acquainted, and occasionally I would see Molly smirking at me knowingly, realising that it annoyed me that I could not see into her head.

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"After mother died." she answered quietly, "I rested with him for a year,"

"A year?" Pip asked, looking over the chair, "How d'you do that?"

"Quite simple really, you curl up and you sleep and you tell yourself you don't want to wake up until you are fully recovered."

"What about...yknow, bodily functions?" Pip asked, rather confusedly. Molly laughed loudly.

"I don't have to contend with that..." Perhaps she was more undead than we first thought, she hardly ate and what she did eat either had to be meat drenched in blood or salad; she refused to give in to pain and didn't seem to go down without a fight.

Blood now drenched her blouse and the top of her skirt, the ends of her hair were matted with the dark, sticky liquid and her skin seemed paler than usual. "Pip, could you call Hayward or Fauster and ask for them to be ready for a casualty?" Pip nodded and flipped open his phone, talking in hushed tones to one of the two.

"They will not take any blood tests, nor will they do anything without my agreement," Molly's voice was cold and hateful.

"Scared of needles?" I asked teasingly.

"No, I don't scare easily." she replied indignantly.

Seras slammed her palm onto the horn, the deafening howl of the car horn signalling her road-rage, "Jesus Christ, they can't even bloody drive!" She shook her head and jerked the car off one line and onto the next beside it, another car horn echoing with her own.

"Per'aps it is you who cannot drive," Pip muttered under his breath.

"Pip, do you want to walk to rest of the way?"

"Not particularly,"

"Shut up, then!"

"You are looking pale, Molly, are you sure you are alright?" Molly turned from the window, dark circles under her eyes, perhaps the venomous bite was finally taking its toll on her; the muscles along her jaw twitched and jumped as she gritted her teeth but her face was still blank. "I'm perfectly fine." she answered hoarsely, Pip shrugged and returned to his sulking.

"May I?" I leant forwards and moved the shirt down over her shoulder as she removed her hand, knuckles and hand swollen from the fractures and breaks. The linen of the shirt stuck to her skin, slithering along the porcelain flesh and leaving long burgundy trails. The wound bled sufficiently, dripping down over her chest, over and around the small mounds of her breasts and down the shallow valley of her cleavage. I noticed the flesh around the wound was blackened, possibly with bruising, and veins spidered away from the wound like small tributaries of a river. Her collarbone was bruised, leading me to believe that the bullet had lodged itself against it or under it.

My nose wrinkled with the smell, but other than that I kept my face as blank as possible as I puzzled over it. The gun had been shot at point blank range, really there should have been an exit wound as well, but there was none. She was lucky for it to have missed any of the many arteries entering or exiting the heart, but, come to think on it, the bullet should've really cut straight though at least one of them.

"Having fun down there?" Pip cat-called from the passenger seat, eye and nose visible under the head rest.

"Just making sure—" I looked up to see Molly either unconscious or asleep, most definitely the former, Molly and fainting did not coincide. I sighed, pulling the shirt back over her shoulder and toying with her hand, the index finger didn't seem to be broken, more...dislocated...I toyed with the notion of "helping" her... No, I'd leave it to the doctors... though...

I glanced at Molly's face, she unconsciously feigned death, before pushing the joint back into its proper place, she opened her eyes and watched me as I studied her fingers again, "If your hoping to get a cry out of me, you are wasting your time," she wriggled her index fingered, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she glanced towards the dashboard to see how long we had until we were back at the Manor, "ten minutes," I answered.

"That's fine, I'll live," she sat back up, yawning and moved to stretch her arms, only to flinch and remember.

-&-

Molly refused any help in getting up the front steps and into the infirmary. She stumbled towards the doctors' den unwillingly but knew if she were to change her mind one of us would manually carry her, kicking and screaming, no doubt, to the doctors anyway. Doctors Izcarius Fauster and Peter Hayward met us halfway, and immediately introduced themselves and then proceeded to fuss over her—something Molly despised.

They sat her down on an examining table and pulled out scissosr ready to cut off her shirt, "I can take it off, for Christ's sake. All I need is a pair of tweezers and some needle and thread and I'll do it myself," The phone rang and Izzy, the oldest recruit out of the pair, was left to deal with her.

Molly pulled off her shirt, barely flinching, "So? Needle? Thread? Come on, I don't have all day,"

"Miss Molly, I refuse to let you work on your own wounds. I am a _doctor _I do this all the time, you are not educated in the art of medicine, now please- behave," Molly glared at him.

"Alucard, tell this man, have I not already sewn up the more superficial of my wounds?" I sighed in response.

"Yes, and a fine cross-stitch it was as well," Fauster's face was a wash of horror.

"Where is this other wound?" Molly directed him to her right shoulder. "What did this?"

"A freak bit me,"

"A freak?!" Fauster dropped his surgical forceps and immediately hurried over to a cupboard where he took out all the necessary equipment to test her blood, "Why didn't you tell me as soon as you came in?" He turned on his computer and opened software relating to tracking the "virus". "How long ago was this?"

"An hour?" Molly estimated. Fauster's face lost all colour.

"Alucard, why did you bring her here when she could be infected with..." he pulled a face.

"She showed no signs of having the virus in her system, her skin had not gone grey, her pupils had not dilated, her eyes had not lost their shine, she had not fallen immediately unconscious and she was not in any pain." He pulled out a gun from his top drawer.

"Well, thank you for the vote of confidence." Molly muttered sarcastically. Fauster brought the syringe to the table and set about getting a blood test, Molly kicked him away.

"You're not taking any of my blood!"

"Well, I need to! I need to know if the venom is in your system and what blood-type you are!" He paused, frowning at seeing the dark colour and sticky textures to her blood. Why it had taken him so long to notice this, I did not know, perhaps he was just too accustomed to human injury.

"I've been bitten before; I am not affected by it unless they sup enough of my blood from me so that my blood has to reproduce using the venom, and seeing as he barely even nibbled me, I will be fine. My blood-type? Last time I checked I was O negative—does that answer your questions?"

"O negative, what a lovely rare blood-type you have." _No wonder you were bitten, you probably smelt fantastic, _Fauster thought agitatedly.

"No-one has ever tasted my blood and lived to tell the tale, save my mother, Barnibus and... And apparently I smell disgusting." She changed the subject immediately, "Besides, O negative isn't extremely rare, if memory serves me well- which is does- it is AB negative that is the most rare,"

"Well, aren't you lucky to smell disgusting, and yes AB is the rarest, but O is the most useful. Now kindly let me see to y-"

"You will not take any of my blood!" Molly's eyes dilated into thin slits and her right hand, broken as it was, gripped onto his throat, the minor sound of his choking music to my ears, my smile faded and I stepped across the room and pulled the young doctor away from Molly. Fauster's jaw twitched in anger and he rubbed his neck, "Not going to apologise?" He asked.

"Why should I?" She hissed, "It's _you_ that is _stealing_ from _me_,"

"Izzy, I think it is best you simply remove the bullet and be done with it." I let go of his arms and watched as, begrudgingly, he picked up his forceps and slipped them into the wound, Molly made no move of it hurting her and instead sighed as if it bored her. "_Vite, vite_, I haven't got all evening." she sighed again. Izzy, obviously thinking the bullet would be near to the wound, dug in a little deeper before pulling out the blood stained forceps, "I'm going to need to X-ray, follow me,"

Izzy led the way into a side room and set up the X-ray machine, asking for her to slip on a hospital gown. Molly groaned inwardly, muttering how annoying they were, and stepped behind a curtain to put it on, the silhouette of her body dropping clothes over the back of a chair and struggling with the gown visible against the screen. I noted how her waist had practically no curve and the only indication of her sex were her breast and her grace.

She reappeared, more bad-tempered than before, and lied down on the table as the Doctor toyed with the machine and disappeared into the controls booth, me following him interestedly like a grim reaper or second shadow.

We returned to the main room to see the results of the X-ray. Molly had returned to wearing the blood-stained clothes again, and sat impatiently on the examining table, Izzy held the X-ray up to the light, and frowned. "It ricocheted up into your clavicle. Do you have a pain in your shoulder-blade?"

"An ache? Yes, I do,"

"It must have mushroomed on your shoulder-blade and lodged itself in your collarbone. I'm going to have to operate to get it out, I can do it under local if you want, so that you can see what I'm doing." he called sarcastically over his shoulder.

"That would be very considerate of you, thank you." Molly sneered.

"Alucard, I think it best you left now, I'm going to have to make an incision...and the blood, well,"

"You underestimate my control, Izcarius,"

_Yes, I know that, but...she'll also need to remove her blouse, it wouldn't be proper for you to be present. _

"Fine, Izzy," I sighed apathetically, "Molly, I will see you later, have a good evening,"

"Oh, it will be bloody amazing, thank you." She answered under her breath sarcastically. As I closed the door behind me, I paused for the inevitable objections. A shout came from the room and a series of stammers followed by a shout for Peter; I chuckled and made my way to Integra's office.

Integra sat looking out of the window at the crescent moon, the smell of her cigar-smoke still lingering in the air as I stealthily entered her office and sat in a chair behind her desk. _Perhaps asking for Molly's help was a bad idea, after all, she is young...easily agitated and easily shot. She's too young to die at the hands of a freak, and what if she was bitten by a true vampire? Is she a virgin? Would she turn or would she turn into a mindless slave? If the latter she is sure to haunt us for her untimely demise. But she knows the consequences of her work, she's done this for years, quite obviously, though I still maintain that she is too young to follow this path, too young to know the true horror the world can offer._

_**I doubt she hasn't already realised what 'true horrors' the world can offer her. She is agile and able on the field; she was just a little unfortunate to have gotten shot tonight on her first real night working with us. She handled the pain brilliantly, if it's any consolation. **_

"And when did you arrive, Servant?" Integra span around in her chair and faced my smirking face.

"I've been here long enough to have heard your doubts. She is capable, Integra."

"I hope so; I do not wish to have an adolescent mortality on our records."

"To add to another sleepless night?" Integra's face remained stoic and devoid of expression.

"She handled the pain well?" She asked, changing subject.

"She was shot in the shoulder, endeavoured in trying to pull the bullet out herself, stitched up the superficial bite to her right shoulder and did not complain about her brok-"

"'Bite?!'" Integra shot forwards, hands slamming on the desk, "She was bitten?"

"Yes." I answered calmly, my face as devoid of expression as hers moments before.

"And you brought her back here, when she was bitten by a freak?!"

"The freak was killed; she showed no signs of turning into a ghoul. In fact, you could say she was completely complacent to the whole thing."

"Complacent or no, she is still a liability!"

"She hasn't been affected. She has valuable contacts, useful knowledge and she, no matter what you think of her age, is a born fighter." Integra shook her head.

"Someone so young shouldn't be able to fight; she should be at school and focusing her attention on boys like all other schoolgirls."

"She hates men and boys, finds them repulsive." Integra laughed shortly.

"Then focusing her attention on girls then." At seeing my face she chuckled again, "Either way, her being born to fight like this and to know all this is incredibly unfortunate."

"You were born into it, weren't you?" I asked. She nodded.

"That's different. My whole family has done this, for generations it has been our duty to protect this country from vampires. Molly, on the other hand, had no family duty; she had a chance to have a normal, albeit ignorant, life."

"But she chose to do this." I interjected, "She could turn around at any point,"

"She's seen too much. Once you see something you cannot close your eyes to it again, the blinkers have come off, as it were," Integra lit another cigar and leant back in her chair in her habitual contemplative pose.

There was a knock at the door, "Come in," Integra called, her voice sharp with irritation at being interrupted in her thoughts.

Doctor Fauster appeared in the doorway, noting my presence he asked, "I'm not interrupting anything?"

"Of course not, come in."

"Just came in for a little...word."

"A word?" Integra asked; her cigar poised in her fingers.

"It's about...our guest," Integra motioned for him to sit beside me, and he sat down, relatively comfortable with my presence, "I was wondering if you could talk her into having a blood-test, or at least let me do an MRI scan,"

"Oh, why?"

"At the beginning of the procedure—" At seeing Integra's blank face he explained how the bullet had lodged itself into her collarbone, "she showed no sign, and I mean no sign _whatsoever, _that I was causing her pain, even after the local wore off. But, after, on her way to the door...she..." he paused for a moment, "Well, I can only interpret it as an epileptic fit of sorts,"

"Epilepsy?" I queried. He shrugged.

"Well, maybe not epilepsy, but, it was very near to exactly the same type of spasm. When I helped her to a bed I noticed her other wound, the bite mark." Integra sat forwards in her chair, cigar in her mouth, teeth grinding down onto it, "the scar beneath it was open, which is impossible as I saw it earlier and it was old scar-tissue, and oozing a very dark liquid," he paused, thinking of a way to explain it, "Do you remember, last year I think it was, that there was a epidemic of the bubonic plague?" Integra stubbed her cigar out.

"I remember it well; it was spread by the ghouls, rats and humans who had come within a few metres of the ghouls. You explained that it was a defect of the freak gene or virus, not strong enough to turn you, but strong enough to remain dormant in a ghoul's system and be breathed upon a human, the symptoms were very like the bubonic plague. Are you saying she is infected with a virus similar to it?"

"I don't know, she didn't have the boils...or any of the other symptoms, just the black ...puss."

"Her wounds on her back, I saw them a few days ago, they were weeping a dark liquid also, perhaps she has a blood infection?" I suggested, that would account for the smell, and why she was so touchy- hating doctors, there was no way of ridding herself of the infection and could only really welcome her inevitable demise.

"I don't know, but I can't treat it unless I get a blood test from her and she won't let me _near _her." Fauster sighed, running his hand over his mouth and chin.

"What do you suggest I do, Izcarius? Force her to take a blood test?"

"Well...yes! If this is an infection, or is contagious, then we could all have it. And I think it's pretty obvious she has a higher immune system than most of us, or at least pain threshold, who knows how we would fair against it?"

"If I force her, Izcarius," Integra answered quietly, "She has every right to refuse and leave us. And at the moment she is helping us on quite a large case." Fauster's face contorted into rage.

"Fine! I'll find another way of finding out what it is she has!" At hearing how defiant he sounded he stopped and added, "I just mean it isn't like anyone will know anything personal about her, if that is what she is worried about, I will send the sample to Merris,_ the laboratory that we have had confidentiality contract with for over twenty years_, and her samples will go on the Molmally GMAA database, the main branch of Merris, who are also under a confidentiality agreement. I just..." He sighed, stood up and excused himself through the door in defeat.

"Molly is not an idiot, when she feels it is serious she will ask for him to see to her,"

"What if it's too late by then?" Integra sat back again and began to think again before asking, "Why don't you ask her?"

"Would it make a difference who asks her?"

"You could at least try, Alucard, she seems to listen to you more, or you at least share a common interest." My smile stretched across my mouth.

"And what interest might that be?"

"Killing freaks and other demons of the night,"

"You also share that interest Integra—"

"I order you to at least _try_ persuading her," I sighed, standing up.

"As you wish, master, but, if she were to refuse, am I allowed to maybe _persuade _her a little more?" I chuckled at Integra's exasperated facial expression. I turned back to the door and set about finding Little Blue and asking her, politely, of course, whether she would take a blood-test. No doubt she would refuse, she seemed to have very strong beliefs in keeping her blood inside her body, but try I would and upon her refusal I shall perhaps turn to a stronger argument.

**A/N: Riiiight, that was a pretty long chapter but I hope it suited you all. That IS the last-last-last chapter I will write for the next...uuum...(looks at exam timetable) until 16th june 2008, after that I will probabl update EVERY day, or somewhere near to it lol, as it is holidays for me :D I won't be going on 'examication' with my friends as ALL hotels, camp sites etc etc are BOOKED ¬¬ not amused. This will probably appear somewhere in June time anywa! That way all these will come out in June time and then there won't be such a wait for any more updates after them, lol. **

**ALIEN QUADRILOGY ROCKS! I think i've already said that. Who would win in a fight, Alucard or Alien? Think on it, mull it over in your heads and get back to me. I reckon the Alien might, though I am rootin' for Alucard, as Alucard rips things up a lot and the Alien has acidy blood, and both have a really good sense of smell...and both are fast, and can survive practically anything. It would be a close fight, but maybe alien would win. Maybe I'll write a fic about that also? Alien Vs Alucard. :p not to mention the recent idea of Haunted, where one of Alucard's past victims of one hundred years ago starts haunting him in a hope of killing him to get to heaven, only to find he is her unfinished business but that he could help- if he wanted. Analeise will have to MAJORLY annoy him. lol. anywho...**

**Thank you:**

**Lil-blood-sucker, Rabbott, Fleeting Glance, Koori Youkai Hime, Night feathers, Lady of Eternal Black roses, Crystalline dream, Alucard'sPetBunny You all rock! And I can't wait to read your reviews! **

**AND MARIE! (cos you're my beta you deserve a whole new line :P)**

**XPoisonX**


	7. Persuasion

**Chapter 7:**

**Alucard**

**A/N: **Hey, me again, I'm writing this the night I sent the last chapter to Marie so...15th May, but I'll probably update it after June. I've been doing maths ALL DAY, so I'm really peeved off, it seems the only fun i get out of life at the moment is writing, and that's only because I'm being someone else, talking differently etc etc. But it's fun. Sorry, being morbid ¬¬ don't hate me. I'll be quick about it. Thank you again, Marie! I understand that my excessive writing is killing you so I created a special concoction that will make your fingers tpye and think for you, so you may sleep but type :P pours green-sludgey liquid into a beaker wearing Einstein-esque clothes If you dreeenk zsis you vill become imenssleeeee progressif, you vill vork harder and faster zsan befooore. (crap accent, or what?) Can't wait for the next chapter of tattoo, for those that don't know, tattoo is an AMAZING fanfiction written by cleverplane AKA jen, who is about as crazy as me and can write reaaaaaaally well. Marie also betas her, and you may stumble upon absurd little conversation, this is normal, you are not going crazy- they might eb though XD. But yeah, look her up! she rocks!

-&-

**M**olly sat in the kitchen, rotating her shoulder and flexing her fingers. I was expecting a much more dejected looking figure, perhaps wearing her arm in a sling with her fingers done up to heal well. But, instead, she had taken off her bandages and sat flexing the fingers incessantly. The sling and pieces of tape and splints cast aside on the black marble counter-top like pieces of useless rubbish, "Feeling better?" I asked, Molly did not flinch at the suddenness of my appearance, she seemed completely indifferent and uncaring to my presence.

She ignored me, carrying on with her finger flexes, "Shouldn't you rest your fingers, to make sure they heal properly?"

"They'll heal fine, I refuse to believe my body won't keep up with me." Molly glanced up, an indignant glare set on her features, her eyes dark but rather weary. She had changed her clothes and wore her pale blue overcoat, white strap t-shirt, long white flowing skirt and top hat, her blood red hair tied up in a braid and worn over her shoulder as if she had only just completed the braid, thus explaining why she had removed the splints and tape.

"You have regained use of them?" I offered to have a look, she shrugged and allowed me to turn her hand this way and that. The bruising had subsided, the bones supposedly back in place and all that showed of there breakages were the tell-tale red lines of the tight tape ad splints.

I turned her hand over, her palm facing upwards and paused noticing small spidery black veins running up along her fingers form her palm, they seemed to quiver and stretch before my very eyes and Blue, noticing my discovery, snatched her hand back; her jaw flinched in agitation. "Izzy tells me you had a fit-"

"It was not a 'fit.'" She hissed, silence ensued.

"A spasm then? A seizure? A contraction?"

"Shut up." She growled quietly, shoving her hands into her pockets and pulling on black lace gloves, roughly donning them as she growled under her breath.

"No one tells me what to do, Molly, no one except my master,"

"Then I advise you to shut your mouth before I sew it shut!" She exclaimed, her head snapping upwards, eyes firmly shut with the vehement rage catapulted from her lips, spittle flew from her lips and her jaw flinched at an increasing rate. She inhaled a shuddering breath, waiting for my retort, my blow or retaliation as her head bowed again and she seemed to be panting.

My lips twitched into a slow smile, "Sew my lips shuts?" I asked, I laughed hard, "Do you have a needle and thread hidden in your coat?" Molly's mouth twitched into a slow smile.

"No, I was thinking about using my shoelaces and hairpin." She answered haughtily, realising how silly her threat had been without the needed equipment to act upon it. "I'm sorry, Red, I shouldn't take this out on you..." She sighed.

"Would you like a drink?"

"No, thank you." She answered quietly.

"Pain killer?" I asked, awaiting her obvious reaction, a smirk playing on my lips at her expense. Her head snapped up and her eyes were wide. "It's quite obvious you're in pain, whether it is from the bullet wound, the bite or the broken fingers I do not know." I glanced at her back, "Or maybe it's none of those..." I added at seeing the tell-tale dots of burgundy and black at her back, the slightly septic smell shortly following.

"You observe and see too much, Red." She sighed again, hands balled up into fists in her lap, "My wounds are opening again, yes, that is why I'm in pain and that's why I...lashed out earlier and..." She had to spit this out- "had a fit in the infirmary. Last time they opened, my mother bathed them in this...liquid, I don't know what it was but it closed them up quick enough. She said it was the Blood of the master….whatever that means." Blood of the master? Molly jumped down from the stool and strode over to the terrace doors, hands clasped behind her back in a respectful pose. She leant against the doorway of the terrace doors gingerly and folded her arms.

"Couldn't you have one of our doctors look at them? They are very discreet, most supernatural wounds are healed by them." Molly shook her head.

"I hate doctors,"

"Do they scare you?" A smile turned my lips, Molly, who seemed fearless, scared by a profession!

"I am scared of very little, I simply do not trust the awful buggers." I laughed, joining her at the window and pushing the doors open, let the crisp night air of the cusp of spring flood into the room, the refreshing smell of dew and some early blooming flowers circulated the room pleasantly. Molly stepped out onto the terrace, the flagstones producing a low whimper as her boots thudded across to the carved stone banister. Molly looked to her right and left, turning her eyes to the staircases on either side leading down onto the modestly kept lawns; ivy crawled up the wall beneath her and at the platform of the elevated terrace, creating wonderful patterns of nature and a silent fountain stretched from the platform wall beneath us in a semicircle on a patch of dark green lawn.

The waters had become stagnant in its months of silence and rest and some species of algae had stretched over its waters lethargically, taking its time in slowly poisoning the waters and I likened this poisonous algae to what must have laid in silence inside of her. She had been in pain even before our little deceptive operation, her wounds weeping that dark liquid possibly before we had met and, in comparing the algae to her ailment, whatever it may have been; I turned to state to her, quite bluntly, "Integra advises that you take a blood test."

Molly clasped her hands together and leant on her elbows on the banisters, body bent low and now she seemed not to reach even my elbow, "You know what my answer to that...is." She flinched. I raised my eyebrows.

"I have been ordered to persuade you into taking one, Little Blue." Molly was gritting her teeth, head bowed, heart suddenly racing, the stupid, stubborn and insolent _child _would not listen! My temper—short as it was—could not hold out any longer, "Molly!" I roared in irritation, I paused taking control of myself.

"Yes, Alucard?" She answered quietly. I shook my head and turned to look towards the fields where our soldiers practised their various attacks and battle-tactics. We stood in silence for a moment, until I spoke again in as calm a voice as my mood would allow me.

"I've been given instructions that I can use any method of persuasion, so long as you are still alive, in making you take that test. We do not want our men to catch some deadly, contagious disease you may be carrying in your blood."

"Any?"

"Any." I paused before smiling to myself. Molly had not pulled her eyes away from the horizon, seemed intent on seeing what lay beneath the moon and stars, what animal laid beneath a holly bush at the opposite end of the long lawns. She did not notice as I raised my hand and paused at her back before pushing my fingers onto the location of the underlying wounds and brushed my nails over her back. She cried out, a high piercing shriek, and I have to admit I had not even pressed that hard and already had elicited a cry from her I would have got from any other victim as I pulled off each limb slowly and painfully. She didn't beg for me to stop, didn't cry; she gritted her teeth hard and focused all her attention on the moss beneath her elbows as I applied slightly more pressure, "I'm trying to make a point, Little Blue. If this is the only way you will respond to my persuasion then I will have to continue—"

"Get. Off. Me." She whispered menacingly under her breath, each word punctuated with a sudden intake of pained breath. I caught a flash of silver as her hand gripped onto her pendant, pulled it over her head and swung it around my neck before jumping atop the banister and looping the chain around the 'm' in such a way that would have strangled a human easily, but I was not human. The silver cut through my skin quickly and she angled kicks at my stomach, my hand caught her knee easily and I had her on her back along the banisters in the time it would've taken her to blink.

She gasped again. "I think a blood test, Blue, should be in order—even if I have to take the sample myself," I bared my teeth at her and she seemed to shrink back slightly before bursting out into laughter.

"The idea of _you _handling a needle is just comic!" I pulled back, eyes narrowed as I let her sit back up, her back was stained with black and burgundy and she swayed once on her feet, but she returned to her earlier position- bent over the banister.

Once again we fell silent as I pulled the pendant from around my neck and felt the usual tingle of my skin rippling and healing and held it out for her to take. Without pealing her eyes from the horizon she held out her hand, the lace gloves were ripped in places and I noticed blackened flesh beneath the lace. "Your hands are burnt."

"No, they are dirty, there is a difference," I dropped the pendant in her hand, and watched for steam, smoke or the smell of burning flesh to accompany it, but her fingers wrapped around it and she deposited it in her inside pocket.

"Perhaps we could come to an arrangement instead...a wager?" I asked after what felt like an age, which was probably only twenty or so minutes- but even so, that is a long time when intertwined with silence.

"A wager?"

"If I win you take the blood test and you act thankful and happy about it—your sour moods do not please young doctor Fauster."

"And if I win?" She asked, turned her face to observe my face closely, no doubt to find any deception or trickery.

"What would you like?" Molly thought about it for a while, her train of thought unfathomable to me through the mental barriers and blocks and the deafening silence. I tuned my mind into hers, but all I could hear was static and a single phrase: I will win.

"Your hat will suffice."

"My hat?" I enquired.

"It is a nice hat and you seem quite fond of it and I do not vary in the style of my hats anyway, variation is key in a good wardrobe, is it not?"

"I suppose one can't have too similar wardrobe, it might get incredibly boring." Molly nodded with a lopsided smile.

"Hat and blood test." She finalised, "And what shall we bet on? Horses?" She smirked slightly as I raised an eyebrow.

"I seem to remember you saying on the way to Berkshire this evening, that you wouldn't mind battling me..." A full smile slowly wriggled across her lips, though a genuine smile was probably so alien to her that it seemed somewhere between a grimace, a devious grin and a sneer—or perhaps the former grimacing was due to her wounds.

"Truly? You are not being cruel?"

"I'm not being cruel at this moment in time, but during the battle I cannot maintain my usually calm and almost kind countenance." A grin spread across my face as she gave a small, lopsided smile.

"You can be as cruel as you want to me, sir, but I will still win that cute hat of yours." She gave a low chuckle, her nose wrinkled with a purely genuine smile, yes, it had been pain that had twisted that smile of hers before. "Cute?" I asked, feigning anger.

"Perhaps I should try it on now—"

"I don't think so, you cannot be sure that you will fair well against me, we haven't even decided upon a weapon."

"Well, we shall have to be fair about this. You are a dead shot...and I think something less reliant upon technology would be fair,"

"The technology would hold me back," I chuckled; she raised an eyebrow at me. A wave of the stench of her blood hit me, causing my head to turn and my nose to wrinkle.

"By all means, insult me further, you have already caused me grievous bodily harm, why not add an insult?" She snarled, nostrils flaring with annoyance.

"Well," I interjected, returning to the former subject, "how could we battle one another?"

"When was the last time you hefted a sword, my friend?"

"It's been years."

"Five for me, we are more matched in this, are we not? I have not held a sword for five years and you for..."

"A decade."

"Well, a vampire's mind holds on to skills much more than a human so I reckon that would be fair, what say you?"

"Yes, a sword-fight." Molly's smile broadened and her nose wrinkled. She turned back to the horizon. "But, in your current state I shall wait a few days, I'm sure Integra will not mind a few days delay if it gets her results."

"Ha! Don't be so cocky! You are not certain you will win, for all you know I could be a prodigy in the art of sword-fighting," She paused and turned back to me, "Are there even any swords in this place—oh, I remember seeing some in the umbrella stand in the foyer—"

"Those would last five seconds for what I have planned for you. No, we shall use swords from the armoury in the upper cellar." I sighed contentedly, looking forward to the little fight her and I would have. "I shall go easy on you, as you are only human,"

"Not too easy, mind. I will not go easy on you, Red."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, I would very much like to see how you handle yourself in a one-on-one fight, I have seen your hand-to-hand combat and I am quite impressed and now for your skill in sword-fighting to be tested and found, however it will be found- it will be quite fascinating. Though I don't want to be disappointed," I knew as I said it that Molly would take offence, and I relished her offended tone.

"Disappointed, hmm? We shall see about that, Red!" She hissed, then, smiling quite smugly, added, "I hope you live up to the rumours, I would certainly hate to be disappointed by your incapability at handling your own sword." She sniggered, had she intended on using an innuendo?

Molly fell silent again, and I noticed the sound of her heart-beat build up as she began to pant in pain, "I. think...I will get some rest. Good evening, Al-ucard," She turned and stumbled back into the kitchen, I watched her over my shoulder only slight concern for her creeping into my undead heart—if she were to die tonight I would not be able to see her capabilities in handling her sword.

I chuckled, her rather cruel jibe would have cut any man to the bone- no man likes to be criticised on his technique or capability in the bedroom- but instead it amused me; she knew men well enough to know what insult would get them riled most, would make them foam at the mouth, but not well enough as she detached herself from them in her disgust of them. Strange thing.

-&-

After quickly talking to Integra of our compromise and our agreement, I returned to my chamber for a day's well-earned rest. I held a glass of wine in my hand majestically, looking into the liquid fondly as I swirled it in the glass. My familiar chair held me, cradled me even, as it did every evening, but this evening, after a rather eventful evening, it seemed perhaps more restful to sit in it. I would not return to my coffin today, I would instead remain in my chair and doze lightly.

I tuned my ears and mind into the rooms about me; I mentally traced the corridor, slithering up the steps from my cell into the corridor and down seven rooms where the gentle snoring of Seras became louder until it sounded as if I were standing right beside her coffin. I listened for a moment and then returned to my chambers. A noise caught my attention; a sudden noise, not incredibly loud, but loud enough compared to the relatively silent rooms around it; I directed my mental stroll in the direction of the noise, slithering up the wall and into a room above the room to the left of my chambers and into Molly's room.

Her mind was open to anyone listening, a great tumult of shouts, screams and sobbing. She had decided to sleep in the bed for this evening and pushed herself up against the wall, the cold stones piercing her wounded back, making the nightmares all the more worse. I pulled back from my mental stroll and instead physically stepped into her room, watching as she thrashed about in her sleep, observed her body come out in a cold sweat, bed sheets twisting around her tighter and tighter.

_""My little Cherub, I will not help you," _

_"B-but...I c-can't!"_

_"You will!" _

_"You made the mess, didn't you?"_

_"No...you did! If you hadn't ever—"_

_"Your existence was an accident, if I could I would rip you from the earth and cast you out into oblivion where you belong!"_

I dared to step into her mind, to see, once and for all, what it was that she hid from the world and to anyone listening. _ "I loved him!" I could see her looking at the back of an armchair, a hand holding a book just visible, the glow of a the light of a fire animated within the ruby on his ring-finger. "You cannot love, Cherub, you were made to love only two people—"_

_"I hate you!" A sickening laugh crackled with the fire. "Hate me all you want, dearest." He answered, standing, immediately she cast her eyes to the floor, refused to even look at him, he gripped her chin, focused her eyes on his...Two great emerald green eyes shone and glistened, light dancing in his eyes. "I love seeing you cry, my morbid fascination with seeing your only emotion presented to me is growing every day. You will clean the mess up, Cherub." Molly turned her eyes to the floor again as she relived the scene. _

_A boy, black hair and steel grey eyes shouted at her soundlessly and finally threw a stool at her, she ducked it easily but jumped at him, ripped his throat out with her teeth and pulled back to find him dead… "He would never have gotten so angry if you hadn't made me promise—"_

_"'Made' you promise? I don't need to 'make' you do anything, I am your master! You do as I say, you obey!" _

_"I hate you." She muttered again. _

_"Say it a little louder pet, hatred is best shown through rage." I felt a wave of deep hatred and anger manifest within her. _

_"You want me to be angry?" Molly screamed, throwing herself at him, fighting him with less skill than she had now, and the man laughed at her as he knocked her sideways onto a chaise-lounge and pinned her on her side, her neck extended- to his delight. Molly refused to look at him; refused to make eye-contact for fear that he would get into her mind as easily as before, as easily as I stood here now. "You, my beautiful little angel, are and always will be mine. By a spot of luck you were created for me, and in my generosity I raised you."_

_"Was it generosity that made you bind me?" She sobbed._

_"Well, yes, I know that without my own supervision you, you little mischievous fiend, will get yourself in a lot of trouble—especially with men- as you have shown me tonight," _

_"He hated me because of you!" She sobbed. _

_"Well...he wasn't much then, was he?" Her master kissed her neck. The sound of her sobbing was overlapped with screams and louder sobs and the familiar language broke through the screams, German, her mind translated it for her, "Quite a durable thing she is, we've tested her endurance, her pain-threshold and her immune system, she is...how to say? Unique." She opened her eyes, watched as two doctors stood in front of her master, unaware of her consciousness, while she angled her eyes away from her Master. "I said you may do as many experiments as you like, if you like what you see you may have a large amount of her blood, but the main point of this exercise was to punish her."_

_"Punish her, sir?" _

_"You've been quite a mischievous little bitch haven't you, Cherub?" She tried to articulate an answer but collapsed in exhaustion. "I think she has almost learnt her lesson, trying to break from me. Quite a painful thing that was. Has she completely recovered from the shock?" _

_"Positively, yes, rapidly even! We've experimented with many diseases as well, but there is one we haven't tried," the other doctor smiled slightly. _

_"A venomous bite." the first doctor grinned, leering at her cruelly. _

_"My bite?" Her master asked._

_"Yes, you said for us to keep her away from the other experiment in case of his bite...so...we have done just that." _

_"Yes, but now we are intrigued..." The second doctor interjected. _

_"You may very well regret asking me to inflict that upon her, she seems relatively harmless now..." Molly's eyes started to close from exhaustion. And the pain, she whimpered, the pain like a pinprick to the other experiments they had put her through, compared to the human diseases. Cholera, deadly as it was, wouldn't kill her, though her body could not rid itself of it, not without intestines, and she had instead thrown up her own blood...the floor slick with large dark puddles of it._

_After a few moments of a blank head and my slow withdrawal I was pulled back in the activity of a final dream. She was in agony, she screamed, and she saw blood, her body throwing up the contents of her stomach, a burgundy liquid falling from her lips. She pulled free of the bonds in the chair, her master was gone and the doctors tried to hold her down, but the pain was too unbearable. She ripped them apart in her agony, and fell against the chair, the fit over. Just as it had finished it started again; and so it went on, starting and stopping, taking hours, possibly days, and finally her mind screamed freedom and she heard thoughts...__**I'm going to die...die...I'm going...to die? I can't! So many more experiments! The old one in the lab- his tests- and the hag...this one shall not leave me...I shall not die, but I am…oh, god, I'm dying! **_

_The door flew open and a white haired woman—possibly albino— jumped through the doorway, stepping over the corpses and limbs littered around the dirty laboratory, a tall, slender and rather deathly looking figure following her. "My baby, we have to leave, I know you are in pain but we must leave." __**They hurt her! The bastards! My baby! **__ Molly refused the man, shying away from him, in disgust, in..._

_"Who are you?" __**No! Not again! He knew it would happen! He knew she would forget! **__The man and woman, who I only assume to be her mother, tried to move her, but the agony of contact on her skin was far worse than before, walking, moving...breathing, all was hell on earth. _

She screamed, body sitting bolt upright scrabbling across the bed, eyes bleary from sleep and hand clutched to her mouth, where she leapt into the bathroom and threw up. Panting, in agony...But the consciousness had pulled the barriers back up again and I was locked outside, with nothing but her whimpers to prove my theories of her emotions. I stepped back moving in with the shadows, watched as she moved through the darkness and stopped at one of the four posts and leant against it, she was frowning.

"Why? What did I dream?" She growled, slamming her hands into the wall nearest to her, aggression building in her breast. She sighed, shoulders and body slumping and crawled over her bed, falling unconscious among the pillows and twisted covers and sheets. I watched for a few moments for any mental movement, but none came.

I returned to my chambers for the day and sat back down, returning the glass to my hand before draining it and letting myself fall into a deep state of thought.

**A/N: Duuuuude, I had NO intention, whatsoever, of finishing this off so quickly! Five hours! I rock! But...ahem...that means more work for Marie, and I think at the moment I may be killing her imagines evil slave driver (me) and poor marie working her fingers to the boneSo I will leave it a while...a week or so...and get on with the next chapter, I think that's a good idea. Have you ever wondered how many books you could write in a set number of months if you had absolutely NO other distractions? I reckon I could write ten/twelve books a year, how many could you write? Ain't that a question! Though, if you had absolutely NO distractions...where's your life? It would literally be the book...:S **

**Review please! and thank you to those that review the last chapters: Lil-Bloodsucker, Rabbott, Alucard'sPetBunny, Fleeting Glance, you all rock and you know it! **

**Marie- cookie! **


	8. Duel

**Alucard:**

**-A/N: Not much to say, just that after an evening's rest I'm returning to writing and then after I WILL revise...I WILL! hits self But so far that ain't goin' so well...I get distracted reaaaally easily, and it's study leave and all which gives me tonnes of time to just write, which I would prefer to do rather than fuss over maths...English revision is alright, just a load of reading, ICT is like HALF a GCSE so I've practically given up on it (my coursework was a load of w so I can't really get anything above a C...unless I miss it and they use my mock results- hey! that's an idea!) Business studies I've also given up on, once again my coursework was w so..yeah. French revision consists of translating harry potter en francais into english (time consuming but it broadens your vocabulary) and science...and all the other subjects. But mostly I want to pass in maths, french, art, english, science and geography...which I know fifty percent of those subjects I can. And didn't I say something about not talking? :P read on, my lovelies. **

-&-

I let Molly rest for four days; in those days Integra refused her appearance in any little procedures involving freaks, so it was just Seras and I. Molly was very quiet and slowly she dressed more and more fitting for a winter in Minsk instead of the impending spring.

"Are you cold?" I asked one evening, as Molly sat in one of living rooms. She wore a high-necked jumper; the long sleeves fell over her hands hiding the black gloves she had taken to wearing. Instead of wearing her favourite white skirt she wore black hip-huggers and habitually tugged her blue overcoat around her tighter and tighter until the shape of her body was well-defined under the clothes she wore. "Y-yes, a little."

"Strange, spring is soon to be here and you feel colder," Molly shrugged and returned to the book in her hand, her hands were shaking and she unconsciously moved down the sofa towards the fire crackling at the hearth. I sat in an armchair opposite her and observed her as she tugged at her overcoat again, pulling the collar of the coat up to the neck of the jumper.

Stubborn creature, stupid girl! I thought, seething, as she coughed into her fist and turned the page of the book. The night after her nightmare, she hardly slept at all, I had heard her walking around in her room, playing some operatic music—all French—quietly; she had sang to it fluently, her voice quite beautiful when it came to lengthy operatic notes.

In those four days I found her, on numerous occasions, asleep in the living room or out on one of the stone benches under a looming camellia bush. Obviously she was fighting sleep in fear of falling into nightmarish dreams she wouldn't remember upon waking. Her evenings were reserved for singing and humming along to a band I later found out were called Dark Sanctuary—a French band that did mostly orchestral and vocal pieces; all of which were dark, gothic and somehow both melancholic and filled with happiness from freedom of expression.

On the third evening of her rest, after a particularly boring mission, I happened to step out on the terrace and watched as Molly's small figure lapped the garden, after a few dozen laps she stopped to stretch and proceeded to do press-ups and then sit-ups. She doubled her laps of the lawns, doubled her press-ups and sit-ups and then tripled them; her heart beat rarely going above the normal, casual beat of a human.

She stumbled, gasping, suddenly the beat of her heart creeping up into tachycardia, I moved to her side quickly, "Molly?"

"Alucard?" She mimicked, stooped and holding her chest as her heartbeat rose higher. She groaned, stumbling but refusing to fall to her knees, a cold sweat appearing at her brow. Her heartbeat stopped altogether. Molly straightened up and returned to her sprint as if nothing had happened, later as I asked her about it she answered, "I don't know what you're talking about, Alucard, I'm perfectly fine,"

Pip raised an eyebrow as he scooped chocolate ice-cream into his mouth, a yellowed bruise along his cheekbone and temple showing where she had got her own back for her broken fingers days before. "Are you sure you're alright? I mean...you look awfully flushed." he leant over the bar, ignoring the frown Molly gave him, the back of his hand came within five milimetres of her brow and he pulled back, whistling. "You've got one high temperature. Hey, Izzy," Izcarius came through the door, looking up slightly bewildered, "Can you have a look at Miss Molly, she's got an 'igh temperature,"

"I can, but if she refuses I won't bother." Doctor Fauster answered sourly. Molly shook her head, her blood red hair was a mess and dark circles were around her eyes, her bottom lip a deep, dark burgundy. "I'm fine; it's just a cold."

"Molly, you don't seem like a gal who gets colds," Pip frowned; Molly glared at him and then excused herself to the living room. "Stupid girl," Pip mumbled, sitting back down at the breakfast bar and finishing off his ice-cream. Seras' whistling carried down the hall and she appeared in the doorway, "Evenin', all," She called, grinning like an idiot as she sat down at the bar next to Pip, "I just had a rather interesting conversation with Graham."

"Oh?" Pip skipped a heartbeat as he carried on eat ice-cream as nonchalantly as he could.

"The guys have made bets, and _you _are one of the only people to bet on Molly."

"And?"

"Oh, come off it!" She frowned, pouting, "You luuuurve her." Pip dropped his spoon in the empty bowl and turned to face Seras, an evil grin on his face.

"No, Seras," he answered huskily, layering his voice with tones associated with actors playing a loved up hero in a film, "It is _you_ that I love," Pip brushed his hand over Seras's cheek, eyes wide with a loved up expression. I raised an eyebrow as Seras shrieked, jumped off the chair and hid behind Doctor Fauster, "Maaster, Pip is being a bastard!"

"What do you expect me to do about it?" I asked flatly. Seras's mouth opened and shut; finally she shut her mouth and glared at Pip as he grinned at her. "You are...you...are _mean_."

"Oh, _I'm_ mean?" He glared at Seras and jumped off the stool, towering over the short, blond doctor and glaring over Fauster's shoulder to Seras who now stood on her toes, eyes narrowed. "You're zee one who skinned my car!"

"You're still pissed about _that_?! You complete CHILD!" The pair shouted and screamed at each other, boring of their childish arguing I entered the living room, where Molly sat curled up on the sofa, knees pulled to her chest, hands over her ears. "Can't they shut up?!" She hissed.

"Headache?"

"_Yes_, actually," The shouting carried on, Doctor Fauster cutting in with his own shouts to try and calm them down. Molly was shaking, finally she stood up, eyes alight with rage as she pushed passed me, sneering with anger, "WILL YOU TWO SHUT THE HELL UP!" She screamed over them both, the kitchen ringing with the loudness of her scream. After a few moments of silence the pair returned to their feud. I shook my head, I could only just hear Molly's enraged muttering, her panting and finally...

"Hey! What are you doi- GET OFF ME!" Interested, I stepped into the doorway and laughed as I saw Molly holding the pair against the table top, both with their arms jutted up their backs, Pip's face in the chocolate smeared bowl and Seras' squashed against the cold marble of the tabletop. "I have a headache, and your shouting is not helping it any, so...I'll make a deal with you both," Molly sighed, closing her eyes briefly, jaw flinching, "I'll let you both go if you shut up and the next time you fight I will tie you upside-down and leave you there until your heads explode and your ankles dislocate,"

"O..okay, fine." Seras' voice was layered with defeat as Molly let her go. But Pip showed no signs of giving up.

"I refuse to give in to you, Miss Molly." Pip mumbled into the bowl.

"And I refuse to let you up unless you swallow your pride and _make my day_." Pip's body slouched.

"Fine." Molly let him go and Seras cackled at seeing his chocolate covered face. Seras and the Captain refrained from fighting with one another, though did exchange scathing comments to each other quietly while Molly was out of earshot, "You put ten pounds on Molly winning."

"And you put ten pounds down on Alucard winning- are you in love with your master?" Seras turned red as she glanced at me, face turning a deeper shade of red at seeing my smirk. I left the room.

On the fourth night and the night of our fight, I found Molly skulking around the upper cellar floor; she'd braided her hair down her back, the braid swinging at her waistline. There was a spring in her step, she hummed to herself tunefully, her eyes bright and her usual pallor had returned. I watched from the shadows a few moments longer as she stepped over to a set of old armour between two doors, signaling the armoury.

The armour had first been a single room of swords, lances, old fashioned hand-guns, pistols and cutlasses; but with the arrival of new technology came a new room and an archway allowing easy access to both rooms, the former room more of a museum than an armoury. Molly started to sing, French lyrics falling from her lips beautifully, her voice lilting and warbling and swooning as if once she had been an opera singer herself. She came to the end of her song with a lengthy note, the magnificent noise echoing down the halls and reverberating in my ear-drums.

"Having fun?" I asked, chuckling as I stepped up behind her, she stopped short in her lengthy operatic note and cleared her throat. Her cheeks blushed slightly.

"You caught me,"

"You like opera?" She laughed.

"I wouldn't say opera, per se, but this is the only way I can sing and so I enjoy listening to others who also sing like me. My favourite band, Dark Sanctuary, always use vocals on their tracks and it is so beautiful, I'd love to see them perform one day but they only perform in France," She sighed slightly.

"Have you ever seen any opera performances?" I asked as she regarded the armour dreamily.

"Yes, a few times. My mother had a weakness for it, apparently we always went to the opera, but I cannot remember that-, but I remember seeing _Cadmus et Hermione _and _The Marriage of Figaro_."She smiled sadly, _"_Mother's favourite was _Beatrice et Benedict, _mainly because the main character had the same name as her." She laughed sadly, "Mother was one of these people who wanted to do everything, and by seeing an opera with her name in it I suppose she imagined herself as Beatrice, possibly imagined that it was written for her..."

I observed her profile in a few moments silence, the long sharp point of her straight nose, her long slender neck, the dip beneath her lower lip giving her lip more definition and scars upon her high cheekbones. Her nose was slightly wrinkled with a smile as she remembered her mother and I noticed a small imperfection upon her right nostril, where a spidery vein was more prominent underneath her fair skin. But, bizarrely, the vein had turned a strange blue-black colour.

"May I ask if you were looking for the armoury?" I asked.

After the moments comfortable silence, she smiled, the wrinkling of her nose now gone showing the change of a smile for memories to the smile of her present, the lopsided smile that she wore quite frequently. "I was."

"You are very close," I cut across her to the door on the left and opened it for her, revealing a chamber where glass cabinets on the far left wall cradled cutlasses, pistols and bayonets; where the front wall wore all kinds of swords with pride, the swords pulled from the sheaths to show off a percentage of the clean blades. I was first to step in and I turned on the luminescent lights, the blades immediately animating the light, throwing light-patterns like mythological faeries; the black barrels of the guns gleaming with a seductive lethality. Molly's soft gasp echoed my comfort at being in a room with every type of weapon the eighteenth to twenty-first century could offer.

"This," Molly gasped in awe, immediately jumping towards a cabinet designated to hold the fire-arms; from bows and arrows and cross-bows to pistols and old rifles used during the second and first world wars, "is...magnificent! It's quite a collection, I must say," after a pause she looked over her shoulder at me and smiled, "You seem quite...at home, are you reminiscing?"

"'Reminiscing'?"

"You are powerful, Red, I see that, but you are also old." I laughed.

"You certainly know how to flatter a man." Molly gave her half-smile, eyes still shining with that life she'd had minutes before as she had sung. "I did not mean that as an insult, wisdom comes with age, after all. I simply mean that you seem to have the same air and," she thought for a moment and then with a half-smile showing off her white teeth- a rarity in her small range of smiles— "deathly elegance as Barnibus," I chuckled.

I moved towards the swords, daggers and the small collection of tanto, kaiken, katana and nihonto, Japanese daggers and swords most of which were only ever carried by samurai- regarded each until I found a broadsword. "Deathly elegance?" I asked as I lifted the broadsword off its brackets.

"Your movement is fluent, rapid and I imagine that with one flick of a sword you could render any normal opponent useless, maybe even dead. Your aura is intriguing, like light to a fly. That is your deathly elegance," I smiled.

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Couldn't you be described as a 'deathly elegant' person? You kill, just as I do—"

"But with less speed and a little less ruthlessness." She chose a delicate looking blade against my broadsword, tested it nonchalantly. My ruthlessness? What about hers? Once the victim was branded, she became focused and intent on killing or at least keeping an eye on its bearer; once you crossed her you were punished: beaten or killed. She had a very one-track mind, a vengeful mind pierced only by moments of compassion for children, and they had to be quite alone and helpless to merit her compassion. Even then, supposedly, she did not love them. I voiced the first part of this observation, she raised her eyebrows.

"I suppose so, but you don't know me that well, Red."

"Nor do you know me." Molly tested her sword a little more and then gently ran her finger along the blade, smiling as her finger and glove were cut open and the almost black blood dripped over the otherwise spotless blade. My brow twitched into a small frown, her usually dark burgundy blood was now almost black and dripped along the blade like a thick syrup or like tar. She sucked on her finger through the lace before turning to me, "Shall we?"

"I'll meet you out on the lawns," I called, stepping through the wall as she glared at me jealously.

I waited beneath a low tree; I held the broadsword—a heavy thing that would have been hard for a normal man to lift—as I would have a more light-weight sword. Molly's silhouette appeared at the terrace; she bounced down the stairs happily, sword sheathed at her hip, and sprinted down the lawn towards the trees where she spotted me looking up at the moon- eclipsed by a blanket of clouds.

"So, rules of our duel?"

"First one to steal the opponent's sword wins—don't look at me like that. A duel to the death would be incredibly stupid, I will not die,"

"Nor shall _I_ go without a fight." Molly growled, seething silently.

"I shall limit my strength and speed, for your benefit, to, say, the strength of a rather tenacious vampire,"

"Fine."

Molly drew her sword and, quickly as she could, commenced our duel with a quick, though slightly inaccurate, attack. I blocked her easily and started my own attack, watching how she parried each attack, how she almost danced fluently in her amalgam of blocking and advancing. Though we were both out of practise, we were not so out of practise that each of us were easily wounded. It took a few more moments of attacks of her own for her guard to drop, leaving an opening which could have been perilous, though I refrained from taking it. I warned her instead with a superficial wound to her throat and cheek, blackened blood dripped down her cheek and throat, staining the blue jumper, and her eyes opened wide in realisation of her lack of defences.

"You are a little out of practise, Little Blue." I jibed, Molly dived in, blocking marvelously, never leaving herself open to attacks.

I brought my sword down over my head; she blocked it, turning her sword's blade on its side as she rested it upon her free palm to give her more leverage. I was stronger than her and her knees shook as she was pushed down and back, boots skidding across the slick grass. She gritted her teeth, "You can't have lost already." I laughed, my eyes flashing.

"No...not...yet!" With the final word she pushed up, her strength matching mine for that second in which she had enough time to jump aside, rolling away and returning to her feet without skipping a heartbeat, body rigid for more battle. The soldiers had congregated along the terrace and whooped and cheered as we faced each other again, the metal-on-metal screech filling the garden, the clanging of the blades like thunder, screaming throughout the estate.

Our sword were crossed and both of us pushed our weapons to the other's wanting the opponent to buckle- but neither of us would, finally, Molly was the first to break away, the screech of her blade ringing in my ears.

We faced each other again, hacking at each other's swords. "You're getting very good at blocking, Molly." I teased as she blocked a blow of mine again for the umpteenth time in a row. She seemed to have cooled down, her pupils dilated and became slits, her heartbeat reaching a steady beat of a human—she was calculating my moves, my rhythm.

She reacted speedily after another block and cut through my arm. I laughed, she was starting to use her head- it was a shame I couldn't eavesdrop.

Molly took her chance, my faltering left numerous openings, and she plunged her sword into my arm again in a hope that my grip would slacken and she could claim my broadsword. I brought my sword over my head again, giving her only enough time to block me, I pushed her down, wanting her to fall to her knees, she gritted her teeth and her arms shook with the force of my attack, I laughed, "You seem to have forgotten how to use your sword,"

Molly snorted and chanced slackening her block to aim a kick at my knee, I stumbled only slightly and swung my sword into another attack, she blocked me again a gleeful smile spreading across her lips. We fought back up the lawns, through flowerbeds, towards the manor and I almost had Molly cornered at the wall of the elevated terrace, but she jumped up onto the banister, bring her sword down onto mine. Gritting her teeth, she put all her effort into subduing me. I pushed up against her apathetically, pushing her back off the banister where she regained her footing on the steps and jumped down the four remaining stairs, pivoting on one foot and turning to face me again with eagerness and readiness.

Her blocking faltered, and an opening left me a chance to get her back for the lunges before. I lunged forwards, piercing her side, though not fatally. She gasped in surprise and focused on blocking me as she formulated a way of accumulating my sword. I sped up, stepping behind her to disorientate her, where I gripped onto her braid pulled her head back to reveal her throat. Molly, not caring about the pain in her scalp, span and stabbed her sword into my thigh. Her attack was not well received and I slashed her front superficially and brought my hilt down into her jaw.

She stumbled away, spat blood out onto the lawn and waited for my next attack, eyes moving with my movements, I paused to look at the blood upon my own sword, the blade slick with the thick liquid the septic smell wrinkling my nose, but I was intrigued. The black, tar-like liquid looked like black sapphires and glistened with the light cast by a briefly freed moon. I ran my tongue along the blade the taste hitting me hard, it did not taste at all disease-ridden...it tasted...

Her blood was better than a human's, as pure as a virgin's blood, much more flavoursome than a freak's and more sumptuous than a pure vampires. It was like the Tokay of all beverages, superbly produced with years of maturity behind it, and just a valuable. The smell was deceptive, a disgusting odour, but the taste itself was superb.

Molly watched me coolly, "I taste good?" She asked.

"Too good," I replied, showing off my long needle-like teeth. She grinned.

"Lets see the monster in you, Red." I lunged forwards, my attacks faster, the third catching her wrist and ripping the ligaments and muscles that caused her to grip onto the sword so tightly. The sword fell and I dived in to grip it, but as my fingers took a hold of it, she threw a punch to my jaw and wrestled it from me, I threw her aside easily. She rolled and quickly returned to her feet swapping hands, fighting with a ferocity she matched to when she fought the freaks that had killed her baby.

I could hear the silence of her mind dissipating and the odd phrase became clearer, the taste of her blood causing some kind of gateway to open for me and I took that advantage, knowing how she would attack before she acted it out. Pip shouted from the banisters for her to rip me apart, Integra and Walter stood closer to the doors, observing with mild interest as I finally caught Molly off guard and brought her to her knee with a downwards blow, she gritted her teeth trying to push up but I threw a punch to her jaw as she had me.

Molly fell to her side, motionless, heartbeat still strong and echoing in my ears. I plied her sword out of her grip sheathed the broadsword, setting her sword and mine on a bench opposite us, the hooting ceased from the terrace and the guards were ordered to return to their duties, Pip glanced over his shoulder at Molly's unconscious form, pausing and wondering whether he should check on her. I sat on the bench, running my fingers along my sword's blade and licking the blood from my fingers, the sharp taste of her blood welcoming to my taste-buds now.

Molly pushed herself up onto her elbows and groaned inwardly, "Damn," she growled, angry at herself for losing—though how she thought she could win against a monster such as me, I'll never know. I laughed, "I think you did pretty well for someone so young,"

"Yes, so well...and yet I still _lost_." She frowned, "I never lose..." She murmured, shaking her head slowly.

"I had rather hoped you'd stay unconscious a little longer so that Doctor Fauster could take a blood sample without your attacks, threats and excessive insults,"

"I won't fuss, you won: fairly and barely." She smiled lopsidedly. She'd fought well...

I exhaled and took off my hat, leaning forwards and removing the blue top-hat to replace it with my own red hat, Molly laughed, tipping the rim up to look back up at me, "Thank you,"

"A consolation prize, you may wear my hat for the evening." Molly tilted it lopsided and smiled, her pupils now returned to their normal form. Doctor Fauster appeared at the empty terrace doors and stumbled with a bag, disappearing for a moment as he picked something up. I turned back to Molly and frowned.

She had moved onto all fours, panting, back arching as she panted and started to cough, she fell silent, nails digging into the soil, "Molly?"

She threw herself back onto her knees and gritted her teeth, her panting now audible to humans. She cried out, the small cries building up into a crescendo led by a piercing scream as she balled up her fists and threw herself on the ground again, sobbing uncontrollably as her body contorted. I stood up and moved to her writhing form, standing over her and not knowing what it was that caused her enough pain to scream so loudly and writhe when bullet wounds and stab wounds elicited nothing but a sneer and scowl.

Izzy sprinted down the lawn, "Miss Molly?" He asked as he stood before her, Molly's hand shot out and she grabbed onto his trouser leg.

"Make...yourself...USEFUL!" Izzy knelt down beside her and frowned.

"This is...I'll take a blood sample, maybe it's a blood infection," Molly screamed louder still, pulling herself into a ball as she sobbed into her knees. She writhed so that Doctor Fauster asked me to hold her arm down as he proceeded to take a blood sample.

Molly howled, her voice piercing my eardrums...and then all fell silent.

**A/N: Once again I've finished this waaaay before I meant to. It is the 19th May and I had my first exam today, maths, and I think I did well...I'll receive all my result sin august, which will be great-unless I suck then it won't be great but I dont know that until I get my results...the world is a bitch :P But you shall find out what happens to Molly shortly, I know some people have grown quite fond of her- I know I have. I have to say, writing molly, even from Alucard's perspective, is tricky as she is the complete opposite to me, you may catch on to those moments when she turns into a miniature beth lol...I'm sorry if the sword fight doesnt exactly fit in, I just always wanted to write a sword fight, especially one with alucard. I think I should make him a little more ruthless, but then, no doubt, Molly would get killed...:S so, it's conducive to a good storyline, please excuse me. **

**Anyway! Thank you everyone for reviewing! REVIEW NOW! (the little go button calls to you!!)**


	9. Her Holy Grail

**Captain Pip Bernadette **

**A/N: This one will be very quick, I just want to do some Pip POV...I may also do a small Molly POV but she'll be incredibly tricky...though if Im in the right mood I can write her perfectly, if I dont say so myself. Anyway...read on...**

**-&-**

I've got to say: when Molly lays into someone, she doesn't let up. Zey've been dancing around each other, attacking and blocking fluently, for over 'alf an hour. I 'ave faith in her, she seems determined to win, though whether she will win against 'im I'm not so sure- she took quite a nasty wound to 'er side a little while ago.

So, 'ere I am, standing on zee terrace whooping like an idiot every time she—as Graham says—"stripes" zee monster. I don't really care about whether I win or lose my money; it was more a token of my saying I 'ad faith in Molly's ability even in her injured and stressed mood which she's been in for almost a week, than an actual investment. I haven't seen 'er eyes light up for a while, they glowed all fiery when she was dishing out punishment for Seras and me a while back, but other zan zat her eyes have been...Cold, patient, apprehensive and distant. Like she knew something bad was about to happen, but was waiting for it to attack her first rather zan face it head-on.

Graham hasn't been well, I've heard him coughing and I heard that Molly told him to see a doctor, consequently he did—and it ain't good. I look over to him now, he's been part of the gang almost as long as I 'ave and I can't really see any of our missions going with such good humour without him. Out of all of us, he has ze dirtiest sense of humour; whenever Seras or any of the other girls are out of sight he's ze one zat brings out ze dirty playing-cards and starts with a playful joke about two hookers standing on a street corner. He's probably told zat joke a million time, but somehow eet's always funny.

He's jumping up and down, being part of zee gang- he falters and grips onto his chest and my smile falters also. His eyes look around to see if anyone 'as noticed and I avert my eye and return my attention back to zee fight; it's like a guys' golden rule zat you ignore another guys illness, just as he does and don't ever act too concerned. Zee shouting and whooping stops for a moment and zen starts again as Molly and Alucard face each other at the stairs, Alucard saying something inaudible and as Molly circles him I see zat life in her eyes again and I can't help but smile.

Molly hates me, or at least is irritated by me, most other women just peg me as the disciplinarian-military-guy, but she knows about zat; about real war and it's ups and downs and all she sees is just me- a man. Miss Molly enjoys zee exercise, I think, enjoys running around and risking her head at every moment- if eat's how she gets her kicks I have no qualms, I get my kicks doing much zee same thing- zat's zee reason she does it...or maybe she's more like Alucard and just likes getting other people hurt.

The whooping stops and I wake up from my thinking enough to realise that Molly is on the floor, unconscious, and Alucard is sitting on a bench a few meters from her, "Looks like your hunch weren't so great, eh, Pip?" Graham laughs, counting his money as Seras sticks her head out through the door, "Who won?"

"Who else?" Graham cackled; pausing only to give a little cough as Perry and Craig looked on with a fleeting look of concern. Seras stuck her tongue out at me and gestured for me to go back into zee kitchen, I looked over my shoulder, pausing.

No, Molly was reckless, ruthless, hateful, permanently scared, but she hated being scared so she lashed out and covered it with rage and hatred and maliciousness. But, she did look magnificent doing it. An image of her lunging and succeeding in stabbing zee "vampire king" stuck in my head, but zen, seeing her on the floor, I frowned and moved towards zee banisters.

Alucard was looking directly at me, knowingly, a smirk at 'is lip—God, I hate him when he's all smug—didn't he even care that he might have hurt her? I shake my 'ead and follow Seras to the breakfast bar as zee rest of the guys hoot and holler down the hall towards the soldiers' quarters.

"Is she any good?"

"I reckon she gave Zee Big Guy a run for 'is money,"

"Really?" Seras moved over to the sink and rubbed her fingers over a drying wine glass lazily, she laughed suddenly, "Naaah, Master is too—"

"Ruthless? Cruel? Good at 'andling a _**broadsword**_." I growl the last word, wriggling my eyebrows. Seras pulls a face and throws a cloth at me, "C'mon, it's best zat a man handles his sword correctly—" Seras shook her head.

"Nope, nope, I'm not gonna take this from you! I don't want Molly to get pissed off and—" A scream echoed up to the house, reverberated against zee windows, chilled mine and probably Seras', blood and Doctor Fauster slipped through zee kitchen and open terrace door, dropping his kit on the floor and picking it up before sprinting down the lawn. I give Seras a quizzical look, maybe Molly was a sore loser and said something Alucard didn't like...

The screaming continued and Seras and I watched each other over zee table, what zee frig was goin' on? Zee screaming and screeching continues and Seras and I finally edge towards the door, zee breeze whistling through zee doorway and knocking free tendrils of my 'air away from my face. I can just make out the shape of Alucard and Izzy leaning over her, she fell silent. "Shit." I whispered, "They might need my hel—"

"Master is strong enough to carry her if that's what needs doing." Seras answered quietly, her eyes wide with concern, "She's been looking ghostly for days, what do you think it is?"

"Remember zat Ghoul Plague?" I ask, not taking my eyes off zee three figures on zee lawn, Alucard is holding her down, I can see zat, and Izzy is...what is he doing?

"Yeah..." Seras answers uncertainly, glancing at me.

"I reckon she might 'ave zat, or maybe...leprosy?"

"Nooo, leprosy can be treated so easily, she'd get that looked at. But the Plague...that might be it...unfortunate if it is, all the research on that was lost." I step out into zee night air, Seras following me, and I watch from zee banisters as Izzy is thrown back and Molly resorts to all fours and makes to pounce on him, Alucard catches her and slams her back onto zee floor. I hear the shouting and then the screaming returns and I turn away, watching as Alucard restrains her with perhaps a little too much force. "I can't watch..." Seras breaths, but doesn't move away.

"She's in pain...a lot of pain. She hardly flinches when she's shot, but now she's—"

"It must be agony, whatever it is," Seras gnaws her lower lip and disappears back into the kitchen, I glance over my shoulder to see zat her shoulders have drooped and she heads for zee living room.

Izzy lifts up her top and, I can't be sure, but it looks like her skin is black...I shake my head and I've made up my mind, I can't stand by and do nothing. I sprint down zee lawn, zee three figures getting bigger until I see her...my stomach flips.

The fair skin of her face is criss-crossed with black lines, blackened veins, her eyes are glowing pink and her head is thrown back in agony. "Jesus..." I gasp, "What can I do to help?" Alucard loosens his grip on her as her body falls against zee soil, clothes mucky with the grit and mud, Molly pants, sobs. "Please, Izzy...I don't care if you have to stick a million needles in me, make the pain stop!" I kneel down beside Izzy as he sorts through his kit and finds a syringe and a small bottle, probably a sedative or pain-reliever. "Roll her over, it's best if I get it into her spine," Alucard flips her over easily, Molly squirming and panting still, Izzy pushes in zee needle and she howls, he pushes zee plunger.

"Funny thing, I DON'T FEEL ANY BETTER!" She roars, she lashes out and hurls herself at Izzy and he pushes himself back and away from 'er, I grip onto her shoulders as Alucard holds her forearms, his face blank.

"Molly, c'mon, now, you better behave—"

"You're not my master! I don't have a maste—" She screams, zee screaming teeters off and she slouches forwards, still panting.

"That must be the morphine, c'mon, get her back to the infirmary." Izzy packs back up and sprints up zee lawn, zee vampire already ahead of him and I follow like a lost lamb. Really, zere is nothing I can do...I shrug and make my way back to my room for an uneasy night's sleep.

**A/N: Not done yet! Not done yet! (You will enjoy this!)**

**Miss Molly "Blue"**

It is such a strange feeling, not a good strange but strange nonetheless. I can hold myself together when I'm shot, stabbed, even when I'm bleeding to death from my throat, but this is...this is...excruciating...why should it feel this way?

Every vein in my body is coursing fire and brimstone, lumps of rock sticking against the sides until they boil holes into my body; I'm boiling from the inside! My eye-sight is so blurred, Alucard is in front of me, I know because I can still see his glowing white form—power emanating off in waves of pure white—and Izzy is doing something with a needle, that hurts enough! He mumbles something about my blood being the wrong colour, about not having enough plasma and my blood being too thick—my blood is always thick, I know this as I'm usually tending to my wounds myself. But I know what he means, it doesn't feel right, I can smell it, it's disgusting, the wound to my side, throat and cheeks, and anywhere else where Alucard struck me, are sticky with this syrup...this cursed slop! It's usually quite dense, as blood goes, but nowhere near like this, it usually smells awful to vampires, but not as rotten and disgusting and fowl as this.

There's another one, another _male_, come to enjoy the show?

My body is going through the change, mother warned me about this before her death, told me it wasn't going to be easy without her there, that I would need to find someone I trusted before it happened, someone who would tell me everything as it happens...

She said the change would be painful, but my body would be stronger and better afterwards, that I would be glad of it in the end, even though I may forget everything, even the fact that I once had a mother. She told me the signs: blackened veins, what appears to be bruising, aching limbs, headaches, wounds that heal ten times faster than usual, my eyesight getting blurred, deep exhaustion , a fever, feeling constantly cold or hot, old wounds opening up and throwing up—something I do only when poisoned with _those _foods.

I thought I would embrace it, but I was wrong, this is not something I could embrace. "Make it stop!" I scream...did I scream something more? My head is spinning, my body detaching itself from its mind and I feel Alucard turning me over and an awful pain in my spine, running straight up into my head and behind my eyes. My throat hurts.

I'm so disorientated. I feel like I'm moving, but I don't feel my limbs working, am I floating? Flying? I squint to see Alucard's angular features above me, he's carrying me? "What are you doing? No...I...can...can I?" Can I walk? "I think they've cut off my legs..." I whisper, panic sets in...How will I ever fight those bastards without legs? The heartbreaking image of me rolling around in a wheelchair like an elderly woman seeps into my head...It's painful thinking about it- no, no-no, that's just the pain.

It's building up again, with the floating feeling comes the agony again and I know I'm scratching at him, telling him to let me go- the contact on my skin is too much.

Izzy shines a light in my eyes—searing pain.

My knuckles hurt, someone yells.

My wrists hurt, someone's holding me down? "Keep still, Blue, I don't want to hurt you anymore than necessary."

"Hurt me? You can't hurt me more than it hurts now!" I screech. My throat hurts. Why do I hurt so much? Colours are blurred and I can hear someone talking to me...the pain is going...I can feel my head again, I have a head? This is not at all ordinary, I'm usually so much more collected, calculating...but maths hurts—too much thinking, knowing, calculating and scheming—God it hurts to even think words and phrases let alone scheming!

I feel cold, the pain along my arms and stomach and legs has gone almost completely and I look down and I see the black of my skin, "Jesus Christ...I have no idea what this is..." Someone else.

"T-i-e h-e-r w-i-t-h t-h-e l-e-a-t-h-e-r st-ra-aa-a-a-a-ps," I know that is Alucard, but why is he stuttering? Like a preternatural echo, a singing frog in his throat. That is not an attribute he usually has, is it? No, no, of course not! Why...how? My throat is sore. "I'm g-l-a-d y-o-u h-a-v-e s-t-o-p-p-e-d screaming, Blue."

"I'm screaming?" I ask, "No, no...this is all wrong..." My eyes come back into focus and I watch as Doctor Hayward ties my wrists in these strange beige straps...bad memories, I can feel bad memories in my head, but I don't know where from, "Not the straitjacket!" I whisper, my voice sounds alien, they've stolen my voice too! My soul and my voice! My sanity! Now my throat hurts more.

"We're not stealing anything, Molly, just hold on; I'm trying to figure out what's wro-"

"Bastards! I'll kill you all!" How strange that I should feel happy at a time like this? I want to hurt them...hurt them all, why do they hurt me? I'll hurt them back, that idea creates a euphoria- getting even, getting revenge for this agony! I jump forwards at the nearest person, that cruel person in red. The bonds hold me back, but not for long; the metal bars, like prison, I hate being imprisoned, come out of their lock and I lunge at that man, whoever he is. I feel a stinging pain in my hand and see blood, blackened and poisoned, dripping over the bedside table- I knocked over something. Break things! Yes! Break them!

The pain is back, "I remember." I gasp, falling back on the pillows, "When the circle is flooded, then shall the sin be washed away with the punishment." I gag slightly as I look down at my chest. Over my heart is a circular patch of white, my skin! My friend I haven't seen you in so long...and then...there are lines criss-crossing the space quick and as I watch in horror and I realise...

The blackened colouring roles in like fog, engulfing my heart and so the pain engulfs me.

I know I'm screaming. I know I'm shrieking. I know I'm shaking. I know I'm hurting anyone who comes near me and I know someone is holding me down and taking each blow...but it doesn't feel like I am.

I've accepted the pain as much as I can, but I cannot cope with it, I've accepted that it hurts, and it will hurt for a few hours, but I don't want to accept. The pain is enough to drive Jesus to Satan and Satan himself to God's feet! Lucifer is standing on my chest, yes, that bearer of light, stands there causing more pain, such pain, it makes me feel sick!

Only it's not just a feeling, I feel bile crawl up my throat and then crawl back down until I start coughing up the damn stuff. That hurts as well..."Bugger, I don't know what we can do save keep her dosed up with morphine and hope for the best..."

"Do I have to stand here all night holding her?"

"It would be appreciated, Alucard, I know you have better things to do, but I fear for her safety and ours."

"Understandable." A strange cold feeling runs through my veins from my...is that an arm? I feel better, for a moment at least; the pain is gone...or dormant. My visions clears for a moment, the man in red stands over me, piercing red eyes hard, not at all soft, but somehow—to me—welcoming. It's better if someone has hard eyes, if they have a disposition that is coarse, you don't get attached as easily and it hurts less when you or the other one part ways. I can remember eyes like that; I know I didn't miss **him **though!

"Hello." I whisper, entranced with those eyes...well, what a queer feeling, someone is sticking their fingers in my skull and rooting around...they used to do that, a lot! Now, what did I do to stop that feeling? I can't remember...and memories play behind my eyes, my thoughts echo for a second party. "Aaaah, are you my master?" I ask...master, I had one of those, didn't I?

"No, Blue, I'm not. I'm...a friend,"

"Friend? Are you my friend or am I yours...there's a difference, did you know?"

"I think it's a mutual understanding." I nod...

"With eyes like that you could have any girl flat on her back." I chortle...why would I say that? I never say that—crude, rude, crude, rude, it's rude and crude! And lewd! His eyes open wider for a split second and then I hear a laugh, "If this is how you are when pain is inflicted upon you, maybe I should rip you apart more often."

"Did you do this?"

"No, but I don't think I'm helping," I gasp.

"I know!"

"Know what?"

"That's besides the point. I know..." I sigh, content in the euphoria of the freedom of that dreaded pain, "I could sing to you," I answer at a whisper, already I can hear a tune in my voice. My head is running away from me, dizzying thoughts chortling and cackling at me...but I want to sing, why not sing to this saviour of mine?

"Why would you come to that conclusion?"

"Because, you seem sad, are you sad? I see sadness, you're in my head, hmm? So now I shall visit yours—" The probing feeling disappears instantly, got him! "I shall sing..." I start with a hum, and then sing as loud as I want, pausing to giggle at appropriate points. I remember singing with mother at our hotel as we cooked or cleaned, she was a wonderful singer, I am nothing compared to her. She told me she sang at the Teatra alla Scalla, in Italy...I'd love to go there one day.

I stop singing the sad song she sang to me when I was little and sang, instead, a happy one, one that brought back imagery of sunflowers, daisies and fields of golden corn...Home, maybe? I change my mind again, and sang a lullaby...no...I'll sing the happy one...Laughter echoes in my ears as I fall silent and look up, wide-eyed, at the jester. "Yes?"

"Your mind is not very articulate this evening,"

"Is it not? Hmmmm. Not at all...no—" The pain came back, "Get off," I say, gagging, he lets go enough for me to fall over the side-bar and empty the contents of my stomach onto the floor. Someone shouted disgust from behind me as someone rubbed my back and squeezed my shoulder, "I'm dying..." I gag again and throw up more...ink? It looks like ink...A Japanese ink drawing! The taste is...nice...I like the taste, it's the taste of darkness mixed with light—dazzling. Is that my blood? The pain is back, every single muscle, every single vein every inch is agony and I feel myself scream, I can hear it, my vision goes black. "My god! My eyes!" I scream, I can't see...I have no legs and I'm blind. "Kill me now, I'm useless!" I scream again. This pain...please...anyone...make it stop.

"I don't understand, I gave her morphine, enough to make her completely docile." Oh, yes because this is docile! Please! I feel fingers in my skull again. _**The pain...it will go, you are calm, you are silent, you are free from all agony. **_No, I'm not, I will never be free from this...I feel the cold up my arm again- a useless limb that trembles and convulses of its own accord. "I've upped her morphine to as much as she can take, but it's not helping!"

"How could it not help? Morphine is strong and...unless..." The other stranger paused and then added, "Unless the R-Omni cells are reproducing and decreasing in the mesocortical pathway, making her violent and emotional and the glutamate receptors where, no doubt, her brain then creates the illusion that her whole body is in pain."

"So, what can we do to fix this?"

"Nothing...the drugs won't help and all we can hope is that her body can take all the pain."

My body is rejecting something, it isn't a change! It's rejecting...the bite! But I was bitten so many times before and this didn't happen, maybe the virus lies dormant and then when it has enough motivation it wakes and tries to ruin me. I'm turning into a monster, and yet my body is fighting it, comforting, that.

"She's rejecting R-Omni." Came a voice.

"R-Omni? Are you certain?"

"Positive! If you want me to be certain let me take a blood sample from yo-"

"I don't think so, Doctor," A chuckle to counter that icy tone of the red-man beside me.

"How is it possible that she could _fight _R-Omni? How could her body recognise the cells?"

"Her body has natural dormant cells of it, so that her body recognises an active strain of it, the dormant cells are then awakened to double the white-blood cells, but her WBC count is through the roof anyway, and they battle together unless there is a lot of the active strain, in which case the dormant strains then work with them and the WBCs are turned also and then rejected by the body—hence the throwing up blood. Because there is such a fight between the virus and her body her blood turns the colour of the R-Omni cells which need no oxygen and the vessels rupture and heal continuously making her skin turn the black of the cells." I...I don't understand...what?

The pain sets in again, this time so much worse and my heart feels...this is bad. "She's going into tachycardia." The first stranger says as I carry on screaming; now even scratching at the flesh over my heart—a heart? Why have one! "It's the pain; I think it's best we induce a coma, now." The second doctor ignored the first, as the sound of clattering and bleeping screamed in my ears. "C'mon, we need to steady her heart before she dies, gimme those paddles,"

"That's. Not. Good?" I ask the man standing over me. My voice was staccatoed. He's still holding me as two cold slightly sticky things are put on my chest and then—oh, my god! What are they doing to me! I scream as a bolt of lightning hits me, but my heart feels better, just the aching and the burning...

Blurry again. Loud. colourful. Quite scary...I don't see the males...I don't see them, save the white glow above and the green blurs to my side, bustling around and yet everywhere else is colour. But still there was that brilliant white glow as a backdrop of a mass of red—captivating. "Hate this...the pain...the change...You must tell me everything." I order.

"Pardon?"

"I might not remember; you have to tell me everything!" The pain is getting worse, I can't take it. I must have voiced this as the two strangers set about sticking needles in me, chattering to each other in a fluent scientific tongue that I could not fathom. Please...please..._**The pain will be gone soon, try to calm yourself. **_

Blurry. Black. "I...I can take it...I can..." I mutter to myself, taking in deep gulping breaths like a fish being put back into water. I can...

"She's not responding to the induced coma...she's not..."

"I have no idea what to do with this one, Izzy. I've been a doctor here for a year and a surgeon and doctor of humans for six and you for four here and four out there, between us we cannot make head nor tail of this...noise, I think it's best we just—"

"Surely you are not thinking of giving up, she is quite clearly in agony." Comes the silky voice from above. Yes! I am...But I can fight it! I can! I will! I MUST! If I do not, then, surely, I do not disserve to live through this anyway?

I feel the bile again, I nudge the man standing over me gently as I gag, he lets go of me and I feel that stench-ridden ink rise from the very depths of my body and fly out through my mouth. I laugh weakly. If it means ejecting every last molecule out of my body, then so be it. After the second heaving, one of the strangers placed a bucket underneath me; or some kind of bowl and, in the intervals from the sickness, takes samples. "Peter, this is- she's throwing up her blood!"

"Throwing up blood? Has her stomach ruptured?"

"Bloody hell, maybe we should get an MRI scan..."

"No, she wouldn't stay still long enough and she won't let the drugs take over,"

"I can take it." I whisper, nodding. I smile as light starts to blind me, my eyes...are they back? I pictured flowers blooming in the empty eye sockets. "I will be fine." Sight is distorted; it is there, but, like a new-born baby, everything is not clear. The third dimension is inconceivable to my infant eyes, colours are blurred and smeared across an otherwise clean canvas, but then there is that red—ike a blood stain. "How long?"

"Seven hours," I laugh dryly at his reply. An eternity.

"The pain will go...it will...but it'll be back..." I'm right, the pain is going, but still there is my throwing up and I can feel each wound on my body re-opening to bleed out the evil blood, can feel my body weep with exhaustion, "So tired." I whisper.

"Sleep." Came the simple answer from above. And, low, came the sweet chortle of demon-angels as she doth walk towards hell ignorantly. Piercing through clouds of ignorance and arrogance came the spikes of wisdom and the porcelain fingers of cherubs and angels—now charred by the evil beneath.

Verse and intelligence, a language that doesn't seem as painful anymore, comes to my mind and I create and spin as I want and please in my sanity. There he is, in the stead of a guardian, a demon who hath grown his angel wings for this fateful day, who hath shaken off his matted cape of fur and black smoke to don a white robe, perhaps, as a child, I am in the midst of a great pretend and there, beneath the hem of that soft gown, lurks the coiled smoke curls waiting to creep around my throat and squeeze life and virginity out of me. To take everything I am, virgin and flesh and blood.

Is it not a virgin's blood that tastes most sweetly? That is most dear? Is it not my very soul? Blood. Innocent, unused, ignorant to lust and carnal desire that runs through these veins that these monsters wish to sup? I am far from carnal desire, it is repugnant, therefore my blood must be so sweet to them that it burns their tongue and bellies into ash; and the stench, surely it is only disgusting to them because of the thickness of the goodness. But, this vanity is far profound, nay, it is not the goodness they smell but the rot of bitterness! Of lost loved-ones (but I cannot love) and the fire that burns as hot coals in my sockets, alas! It was not the sickness that took my eyes, moreover that the coals finally burnt out! And as liquid brimstone in my belly...so, in deed, the pain of brimstone in my veins is simply my vengeful belly polluting what's left of me?

There's laughter above me and I realise those porcelain fingers were not cherub's fingers at all, but the gloved fingers of the demon masquerading as guardian, so what titanic figure in white gowns stands before me now? Is it the infinite being, God, warning me of my trail to hell? And those gloved fingers above are simply to peel me away from the warnings to cast me back into the fire, my very own stomach, is where he shall lie me. "Your mind...so strange when it is this open to me."

"Perhaps it is not my mind that is strange, more that it is everyone else's; maybe I'm the only sane and intelligent one amongst you..." As soon as it leaves my lips I regret saying anything, "How conceited and pretentious!" I sigh, "I am insulting you, it is probably I who is crazy,"

"Oh, I take no offence to being implied as quite the mad-man, I've been known to dance between the borders of sanity and insanity.," I hear the inkling of a smile in his voice.

"Have you now?" I chortle slightly, "Salsa? Waltz? Tango? Carmagnole?"

"An insane mix of them all, I should think. Well, a mixture of the war-anticipating tribal dances to the supposedly sophisticated waltz of a wealthy gentleman."

"Gentleman? Don't make me laugh. Men are rats. All of them are viruses, we need them for their seed and that is all,"

"The world would be pretty boring without men though, don't you think?"

"The world is still too male-dominated. I walk in streets and see mothers coddle their sons while happily watch their daughters take sweet things from strangers. Have seen women turned down for jobs at management positions simply because they lack a penis, and what is a penis if not a useless half limb with nothing but sex on its agenda." He laughs louder and I flinch, "Loud, so loud,"

"You hate men that much?"

"I find them useless until they are useful."

"You don't trust them?"

"Certainly not! I trust no one unless given a reason to."

"Do you trust me?"

"I trust that you have the same agenda as I, or incredibly similar. I trust that your shots are true, that you are capable in battle, that you are a lone wolf, and a dangerous wolf at that. I understand and trust that if I were to vex you, you would make short work of me." I gasp; pain gets me in the stomach. My body is exhausted, damp with perspiration and blood, screaming for rest. I see the orange circle below me and let my stomach empty itself into the black and orange thing below me, the floor is stained with my blood, the bucket the same.

The pain is back. Oh, Lord, have mercy! The pain builds from aches to a fire to a roaring furnace of agony in every molecule of my body, I feel that the sheets around me are damp and looking around me I see black in my hazy, bright vision, I'm bleeding. "She's O-negative, we can give her a transfusion, that may help her," comes a voice and few moments later I feel a strange buzzing feeling in my body. The pain dies, and the buzzing takes over, I feel incredibly rotten, I'm floating.

"Almost there, Little Blue, almost well again."

"Yes." I gasp, closing my eyes as I feel tears, unwanted, awful things, drip down my face slowly, the angle of my lying position allowing them to pause at intervals.

"I've taken another sample, Miss Molly, and I can roughly calculate that it will take you another, oh, seven or so hours to get back to good health." I whimper. That's a long time.

The buzzing is gone, replaced with the agony again. I let the cacophony of screaming begin again, only I don't think I can create a sound anymore, thrashing as best I could beneath the blood stain above me, a smeared face watching me. Yes, the clouds were stained with blood, the clouds opening up to reveal long white fangs and the gloved fingers sought me out and pulled me up and up into hell, chaos and agony.

The sky was a vast violet, the moon a halo of cream—too pleasant for hell—and the stars were...

Deception!

... hellhounds, pouncing upon each other, ripping each other apart. The creamy white turned to me and it was an eye! The vast purple—Beelzebub! A giant minion of Lucifer himself! The hellhounds his little parasites, living off the blood remaining on his flesh: an endless feast. And yet, I lie here, thinking that, when actually those gloved fingers are holding me down on earth as the real demons try to drag me off, I had no justice in personifying my pain as Alucard, he was my deliverer for now, a matron delivering this new, helpless infant into a new world and no doubt he would tell me anything if I were to forget, or would he?

Suddenly my trust vanishes and I am myself again, untrusting and no longer disillusioned by supposed kindness. After all, if I die—resorting to the less personal reason for keeping me safe or telling me anything- they would have to find their own contacts, their own way into the underworld and in that, I was one of Gabriel's seraphim running from one realm to the other, delving into the coils of black smoke to bring back the holy grail or anything else he so desires...No, I cannot ascertain that this 'guardian' of mine is a trustworthy seraphim, that he will delve into the heart of the smoke to find my holy grail and lay it before me; after all, I was not His Gabriel. 

**A/N: I'd just like to point out that if that seems very jumpy it was meant to be, she's in pain and slightly delirious, she starts to turn more Molly-ish near the end **

**(Yes, that is how Molly thinks, how many classics must she have read to think like that? how many must I have read to be able to write like that? SQUEEE I'm so happy with those last paragraphs, very wordy and probably boring for you, but thoughtful for me. I LOVE the ending of this chapter, if you get that I used the holy grail as a metaphor for her memories and Gabriel as Integra then well done lol). **

**R-Omni is short for Remdiomnis, which is the scientific name for vampire blood, lol. I think my Pip POV was a little iffy, but tell me what you think! I thought I'd add in Molly's singing as that is one of her best characteristics- her voice, I imagine, is amazingly beautiful and lyrical. But , tell me what you think!! (I wrote this too quick, it's still 19th) sooorry, marie! :S**

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR BEING SO NICE AND REVIEWING!!

B/N: Now….I know that I only ever put beta notes on Tattoo, but….GODDAMN, THIS WAS AN AMAZING PIECE OF LITERATURE! My God, Beth. I was freaking breathless. This was simply amazing. Just…my God. I can't recover. So amazing. Molly's POV was so…ACK! And the end of this chapter was stunning. My God, Beth. You win the prize.

A/N2: Mariiiiie tears of joy HUGGLES! Honestly though, TEARS OF JOY! hugggggggggles!


	10. The Hunger

**Chapter 10**

**Alucard**

**A/N: Me again, it's the 22nd, I'm writing like mad and now I have half term, one more exam today and I'm done for nine days (which I will revise as well) and then all is done. Only...12 more exams left for me...sigh**

(Sing song!) Emilie Simon (She's French- but these are english lyrics) The frozen World

**The Frozen World lyrics**

Won't you open for me  
The door to your ice world  
To your white desert

I just want to stare  
Out over these snowfields  
Until we are one again

We belong to the frozen world

When the ice begins to thaw  
Becomes the sea  
Oh, you will see  
How beautiful we can be

Everything is calm  
At the end of the planet  
In our white desert

The sun kissed the ice  
It glistens for me  
And we are one again  
We belong to the frozen world

When the ice begins to thaw  
Becomes the sea  
Oh, you will see  
How beautiful we can be

When the ice begins to thaw  
Becomes the sea

(Felt like it)

-&-

I watched her face soften from the mask of pain that she had worn for the last day and night. I had not slept, but neither had she, and it seemed that if I wasn't the one to hold her still and guard her that she may very well have killed someone in her agony—after all, isn't that what I saw in her dream a few nights before? But also I had an ulterior motive for my presence during her agony—her mind was at its most defenceless as you she lay with no control over her actions, I could clearly pick up how she thought, how she saw the world and it was fascinating.

An hour ago, the black had started to drain from her skin and she was left a pure white colour, with the hint of pink in her cheeks and the small spidery veins; the scars on her face were no longer the more prominent pink they had been but faint white lines that a human could only pick up in certain lights. Her body felt slimmer as if she had lost all her weight in only a couple evenings of prolonged agony and this made her look perhaps less feminine than before—no curves, no seduction, no sweetness.

The Doctors sat by the computer, talking via webcam to a lab technician at the labs paired with ours, Merris, sworn to secrecy by contract and a promise that all who spoke out to the public would be found and tortured until they wished they were dead, by me. The shorter, blond doctor, Izcarius, sat on the edge of the desk, throwing looks over to Molly and me every now and then while Peter, a tall and rather regal and trustworthy looking man with jet black hair and mismatched green eyes- one pale green and the other an obvious blue-green colour with dots of amber. "So, Rhys, could you maybe give a _full _analysis of her blood?" Izcarius asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Sure." Came his slightly comical welsh accent **(Trying desperately to get the accent right here, sorry for any welsh people who are like"we doon't spake like thart") **"I'm complately fascinay_ted_, I'd like t' do a full analysess of her blud structer, if that's allrite, lads. Her blud may sh_ed_ some lite on how t' batt_al_ the freak vir_us._"

"Yeah, that would be fine—we'd do it here but Midori's just found out that most of our newer blood-testing kits are broken,"

"Brokun?"

"Mmm, I think it may have been that power cut a little while ago."

"Aah, yes, that mite do'heet, have y' _tested _the MRI scanner since theen?"

"Yeah, we had one of the mercenaries come in a little while ago—poor guy,"

"Only interest_ed _in the supernat'ral, mayt." The shaggy haired welshman raised his hands to the camera and peered at the screen, "s'at 'er?-- Hey! Alucard!" He gave a small grin and waved, I raised an eyebrow, "Is she unconsci_us_?"

"Yes, by the looks of it, her body has finally slipped into sleep." I turned back to the frail thing below me, still leaning over the bed, her wrists loosely held in my hands, tightening as the muscles flexed and her body tensed. She was not dreaming; I was still partially in-tune to her mind, the blood from a couple evenings before still making the thoughts slip into my mind more easily and with more clarity than if I hadn't got a taste of it, and I could hear her thoughts, something like this: A clear layout of the infirmary was in her mind, her mind focusing on key points with little thoughts of_: An attack through the window, the scalpels would make do, throw them at the attacker. Ceilings are quite high, but could jump from the..._at this point her mind would reel around to show the bed and then zoom in on the vent above her_ ...bed and get into the vents. _Her mind would then make a rough sketch of the layout of the ground floor, which way to go etc, etc. _If the doctors come at me, Alucard is still here, still holding me...right? _She shifted her wrists, feeling my grip tighten she concluded I was still holding her—_How could I fight him? I cannot...his might is more than thrice my own—no, a hundred of my own. I could not fight him when he limited his strength, how would I fair against him when he wasn't holding back a thing? Those lethal fangs of his would be in my throat before I had time to act on a plan. Though he cannot hear me now...no-one can—solitude of my own thoughts. Ruined by pain. _

I smirked, though stayed at a distance from her, mentally, enough to make her feel safe in her own thoughts and wander freely; sketching plans, dwelling on the night previously and why she could still remember everything, that was part of her purge, that she would forget and live in blissful ignorance of the past.

Her eyes opened, she looked up at me, _Test them. _"Whe...?" She cleared her throat, frowning at the hoarse whisper of her voice. "Where am I? Who..?" She croaked, she started to struggle beneath me, emaciated as she was she still had strength enough to make me tighten my grip a little more. I focused my eyes on her, glaring at her and her deception. The three doctors finished conversing and looked over to us, Izzy and Peter quickly returning to the bedside and Rhys mumbling an, "alrite then, I'll leeve yus to ayt."

"Get off," she snarled at me, I made no move to let her go.

"Alucard, let her go, I doubt she'll be any trouble now." Doctor Hayward wringed his wrists and brought out a stethoscope.

"You can't be sure, Hayward." Little Blue seemed intent on seeing what their agenda was, whether she could trust Hellsing on the whole when push came to shove. "Her pulse is the normal speed I have become accustomed to, Hayward," I added. She squirmed, whimpering as believably as she could- needless to say, the humans fell for it.

"Who?" She cried shrilly as Izcarius poured her a glass of waterand patted her arm sympathetically.

"You can't remember anything, Molly?"

"Molly? Molly who? Who are you?" She half-screamed. _Now for the test, you foul male creatures, do you tell me the truth or lie and reap the consequences? _ I sighed inwardly, though quite a sensible characteristic, it became quite tedious after a while. I glanced at Hayward and Fauster, the latter of the pair caught in a tumult of thoughts, _We could tell her anything, tell her we're her family, that she's always been with us...OR we could tell her the truth...Alucard knows more about her, but...would he go along with it? More importantly would everyone else go along with it? Someone is sure to slip...Best keep to the truth. _"Molly, you've been working with us, the Hellsing organisation, to solve a series of disappearances in the country. We fight vampires and demons, anything supernatural that may be seen as ev-"

"That's quite alright, Fauster, I was testing you. Alucard, would you let me go?" I observed her a little longer, listening as her mind ran ahead of her, _He thinks I'm dangerous? Perhaps he enjoyed watching my agony, well, at least my pain entertained someone—it certainly did not entertain me. Such pain was not meant to be felt by any living creature in the heart of reality. Perhaps in hell that pain would be reasonable, but, nonetheless, it should not ever exist. _I slackened my grip, she immediately jerked away form me, anger flaring in her pale blue eyes, now so pale that the iris was speckled with pink and the blue was a shade away from white.

Her wrists were swollen, incredibly bruised and looked like it would irritate her, but she simply rotated them a few times, joints clicking and cracking, as the swelling receded and the bruising disappeared, her pupils turned to slits as she turned to look at Doctor Hayward, the luminescent light causing her to flinch away, put the bar down and swing her legs over the edge of the bed.

"How do you feel? Any head-aches? Nausea? Conflicting moods?"

"Would annoyance, anger, boredom and hunger count as conflicting emotions?" Molly as sourly, jaw set and eyes scaling the walls and table tops, the six other spare beds and the equipment. "Would you like...some...fruit?" Doctor Fauster offered and Molly snorted.

"I would like a bowl of fruit, a bowl of salad, hold the dressing, and four raw steaks." She chuckled to herself, stepping down onto the cold, tiled floor; she turned her shoulders so as not to brush me as she passed, stumbling and falling to the floor. I caught her arms and pulled her back to the bed, Molly was as light as a feather, possibly only a little less frail, but she still squirmed against me, swearing at me as I set her back down on the bed and stood in front of her.

"You're in a sour mood, Little Blue,"

"Of course I am!" _Put through hell! Starving! And having to put up with three __**men**__! God has a funny way of rewarding those who strive for nothing but to destroy those that harm the innocent, ignorant or weak. _"What am I wearing?" She croaked in disgust, pulling at the surgical gown.

"Your clothes were soaked in blood and ripped, it was more convenient for you to wear one of the-"

"Haha, liar. You just wanted to see me naked! Sick bastards!" She shouted over her shoulder as Fauster came around the bedside holding a glass of water, Molly snatched it from his fingers, downing the glass in one. Her voice now restored to its usual cold, smooth tones she looked up to see me looking at her, "See something interesting, do you?" She sneered at me.

"Irritable you may be, Blue, but I will not condone impoliteness. I feel rather tetchy already, don't piss me off further." Molly frowned at me. _Me? Irritable? I have perfect reason to be, imbecile. _I was fascinated by her thoughts, but, at the same time, they were now irritating me to snapping point. Molly's eyes were glowing with defiance as she growled, "Out of my way." she stood up and pushed at my chest to get out of the room as quickly as possible. _Have to just eat and wash and sleep...God knows I need sleep, so tired, eating…I could not take a salad, the idea of eating it makes me feel positively ill, but...raw steak, I could kill for it. Blood? Blood? The blood would be good. Not that I'll enjoy it, but the blood would give the meat a bit more of kick and may make me feel more vivacious and less nauseous._

Blood? Blue was thinking about blood, "Molly.," I growled sternly, taking her wrists in my hands again pinning them to her side as she squirmed again, "open your mouth," I commanded. Molly frowned at me, _He looks very attractive when he's being firm...maybe he's not so bad. _I heard her mentally giggle, _He makes me feel...oh, he makes me feel...hot? Turned on? _I laughed, Molly raised an eyebrow. "Thought so." She whispered. _You can hear me, can't you Red? _

_**Oh, yes, I can hear you. **_

_Then would you kindly let me get something to eat._

_**Blood, per chance? And I thought you liked this...**_I countered teasingly.

_A test, Red. I don't think I could ever get sexually aroused when looking at men—they are too disgusting and untrustworthy. _

_**Technically I **__was__** a man. And you didn't answer my question. **_

_I've lost a lot of my blood. I'm hungry, raw steak, possibly dripping in blood, will make me feel better. _

_**If you wouldn't mind showing me your teeth, Blue-**_

__Blue rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, baring her teeth to show me that no fangs protruded from her gums. Though tips of a second pair of eye-teeth pushed through her gums a little too high up, "Have you always had a second pair of eye-teeth?" I asked. Molly rolled her eyes again.

"Yes, Alucard. I don't feel a need to eat any humans, before you ask, nor are my sense particularly keen this evening."

"Are there any differences at all?" I asked again, turning her head this way and that to take in her appearance, tell-tale signs of a more profound pallor and less visible veins nowhere to be seen; I could see the faint blue of her veins beneath her fair skin and Molly's heart still beat at that painfully slow pace.

"No, my friend, but if you would like to escort me and watch me eat and sleep then be my guest." I let go of her wrists, the two doctors peering at our strange little conversation with curiosity. "Could I have some clothes please?"

"Certainly, Blue," Izzy disappeared into his office and returned holding a pile of folded clothes, "Walter was kind enough to fetch these from your room."

_I must remember to get him a present for all this hard-work he does, maybe a bottle of champagne or wine? _

Molly took the pile of clothes and disappeared behind a screen, I chuckled at hearing her muttering about how "despicable" men would be the death of her. That we were not to be trusted. No doubt she voiced these aloud so the doctors and I would know exactly where we stood with her.

She stumbled out from behind the screen and, without even acknowledging any of us, disappeared out of the infirmary, no doubt to find herself something to eat. I followed her, listening as her thoughts slowly became quieter until they were nothing but white noise again. I sighed, the couple of evenings were enough for me to know the way she thought, but not enough for any entertainment and I knew that not being able to hear her thoughts would soon annoy me again.

I found her in the kitchen, Walter set down a plate of raw steaks before her, _She seems alright, a little thin and irritable but completely normal. _Walter looked up and saw me leaning against the doorway, he gave me a quizzical look, _is she alright, Alucard? _

_**She seems it, though she's a little tetchier than usual. **_

Molly drained the plate of the blood, that still dripped off the meat, into a glass and then ripped into one of the steaks, Walter's mouth fell open, "If you need me...I'll...be in the library," _Are you sure she's alright? _

_**Well, she usually ate extra rare steaks she just seems to want them a little rarer. **_

_Too rare if you ask me. _"Thank you, Walter. Oh." she swallowed a mouthful of steak and turned on the stool to face the aged gentleman, "Out of curiosity, what is your favourite wine?"

"I think a Cabernet Sauvignon is quite delicious, but is best left to age." Molly gave a genuine smile, her nose wrinkling a little.

"A wine connoisseur?"

"Not particularly, but it is best to know what you are drinking and which meals it goes with best."

"Cabernet sauvignon? I think I've tried that one, generally fruity?"

"Yes, they are generally fruity, but quite expensive," Molly nodded, "Enjoy your steak, Miss." Walter gave a faltering smile, I moved out of the way for him, _Is there a reason she wants to know my favourite wine?_

_**It's a surprise. **_

Molly finished off the first generous steak and moved on to the second as I sat down opposite her and watched her devour it with a ravishing hunger. "Do you feel better?" I asked; an inkling of a smile in my voice. Molly swallowed and drained the glass of blood, I frowned, perhaps she wasn't as human as I'd first thought. She swiftly moved onto the next steak, blood dripping down her chin from the corner of her mouth, moans rippling in her throat, her pupils had dilated and were now slits the rim of colour around them a rose-petal pink. "Blue?" Her head snapped up to look at me, pulled out from her trance, her pupils dilated and shrank to their normal proportion. "Are you sure you feel alright?"

_"_I feel fine, Red, I could be better but I could be worse," She noticed my skeptical gaze and ate the final steak with less vigour, though I knew she wanted to rip into it hungrily. I sighed again and stepped down, through the floor into one of the store rooms, found the refrigerator that held our blood supply and picked out two bags. I was intrigued, maybe she was now a vampire but she refused to believe that. I made a detour to her sleeping quarters, found her silver pendant on the table and glared at it for a moment. It would annoy me, it wouldn't be too painful, pain is a bearable burden, but it was necessary.

I returned to kitchen swiftly, setting the two bags of blood on the counter, the pendant still burning a hole in my palm, and stood behind Molly, "What are you—?" I slipped the pendant over her head and lifted her hair from underneath it. She shivered and I returned to the opposite side of the counter to observe whether her skin became burnt or if she removed it. Neither occurrences happened. "Oh, thank you, Alucard,"

"Not a problem." the flesh along my hands knitted itself back together, a tingle ran up and down my arm.

"Sorry about my irritability, I don't mean to be offensive, I think manners are very important in society, though seem to have be forgotten of late, but, nonetheless, that gives me no reason to be so impolite and rude." I smiled.

"Apology accepted," I collected a glass from a cupboard, ripped open the bag and poured the dazzling contents into the glass, the clarity of the glass now smeared and stained with blood. Molly watched me drink from the glass slowly, eyes wide with hunger. "Blood?" I offered. She nodded vigorously, I made no argument as I poured a second glass for her.

Seras bounced into the room, leaping up behind Molly and hugging her around the shoulders, "You're back! How do you fee-" she stopped as she noticed Molly draining the glass of blood and recoiled. "Wait. Mol- is she-? Are you-?" Seras seemed completely baffled by mine and Molly's calm and by the fact that Molly was even still here if she was now a freak.

"No, I'm not a freak or a vampire," Molly drained the glass of blood and jumped off of the stool and collected the three empty glasses and the plate, depositing them in the sink where she set about washing them. Seras gave me a look that screamed: "How can she not be a freak? I don't understand!"

_**Police girl, have you noticed the silver pendant around her neck? **_

_Yes..._

_**If she were a vampire or a freak she would be screaming in agony by now, wouldn't she?**_

_Yes, master, _Seras blushed and sat down in the recently vacated seat, _But she just drank human blood, master_, "Do you feel better now, Molly?" She asked. _**Your point being? **_

"Good enough to stand, eat and think about getting back out on the field to tear some freak-bastards apart," Molly answered neutrally, placing the dripping glasses and plate on the side to dry and sat down next to me with an apple in her hand. "I've been apathetic, slothful and idle for far too long,"

"It's been a week," Seras interjected, "A week off must feel brilliant, a rest..."

"Don't dwell on that idea, Seras." I glared at her coldly, as Molly bit into her apple. Where was Seras' vampiric lust for blood and battle?

"No, cannot say I enjoy being idle, perhaps you would Seras, but I prefer to keep busy. And, though I may complain about my work, I quite enjoy the exercise and the rule breaking." her eyes flashed, "Watching their faces as they realised they are thoroughly fuc-"

"Molly!" Pip entered the kitchen, surprise and relief shining in his eyes as he stepped over to the counter, mentally battling between a handshake, a hug or no contact whatsoever. Molly paused, her apple a few centimetres from her lips, she gave a small half-smile, "Hello, Captain." I surveyed her body-language, this now being the only way to figure her out. She was tense, questioning, she bit into her apple again.

"You look..." Pip frowned slightly. _Still ill and too thin..._

"Well enough to fight, Captain, don't worry. How are you this evening?"

"I am... alright." Pip put his hands into his pockets nonchalantly, Molly nodded.

"How's Graham?" She asked. Pip blinked, forgetting that she knew.

"Old Hammy is alright, he is leaving us in a month and a half—retiring early to enjoy 'is life." Molly shook her head. _Or what's left of eet. _

"You might want to insist he leaves no later than a month." Pip paused at the fridge, the cold from the fridge brushing the back of our necks. Molly bit into her apple again, face unfathomable.

"You think so, uh?"

"I know so." Molly answered quietly. Pip poured himself a glass of filtered, cold water and sat down next to Seras, sitting directly opposite Molly.

"How?"

"A feeling." Molly finished her apple and looked around the kitchen until her eyes fell on the bin by the door, she threw it over Pip's shoulder and gave a fleeting smile as the core disappeared into the bin. "A feeling?" Molly raised an eyebrow, maneuvered her hat to the side of her head and hopped down from the stool.

"Your need to repeat everything I say is rather boring, Captain." Molly disappeared out onto the terrace, the doors slowly closing behind her. Pip looked at the door with a frown on his face.

"She is in a pissy mood." He grumbled. A man is at his most pathetic when having qualms about the women he may feel inclined towards. Over the last week or so I had noticed that he had become slightly intrigued with Molly, but his thoughts of them ever making it as a couple were incredibly stupid as Molly herself had said "Men were disgusting" and "she could never see herself settling down with one". What made her rants about how disgusting the male population all the more comic was her own phrasing; as if men were in actual fact little pathetic creatures with half a brain cell. Bernadette had not a hope in hell of ever catching Molly's eyes, and he knew it.

"What's up, Pip?" Seras asked, swiveling around on the stool to face the exasperated Captain, oblivious to the Captain's mental battles and, having never been attuned to the going on around her, I doubted that she would ever understand the Captain's worries.

"Nothing much. Just a few annoyances getting to me, is all." Pip drained his glass of water and locked gazes with me, eyes at first questioning and then, seeing my own knowing look, annoyed. _So the big guy knows, _he thought, seeing my smirk.

Amused, I replied, _**Yes, I do, and I have a feeling so does Little Blue. **_

_How could she know? I haven't told anyone. _

_**Molly seems to have quite a keen understanding of the males' brain. Call it a speculation, if you want, but she seems to already know, and has she made any move to reciprocate your feelings?**_

The Captain sighed, _Non, non she hasn't. _The Captain stood up from his chair, stretching before depositing his glass in the sink and exited the kitchen onto the terrace where Molly had been a few moments before. Seras watched him curiously, "What were you two talking about?" _Bet I have something on my face, yep, probably do. I'm beginning to see why Molly hates guys so much...bloody men. _

"Police Girl, kindly keep your self-consciousness to a minimum, too much and you become very annoying," Seras blushed.

"Sorry, Master," _"Keep your self-consciousness to a minimum" Pfft, I'm not self-conscious...am I? _She noticed by raised eyebrow, _You're still listening aren't you? _I smirked.

_**Now, why would I want to pollute my own mind with your drivel? **_Seras' cheeks flushed as her eyes narrowed with anger. "Fine, be that way!" She hopped down from her stool, mentally grumbling to herself: _Bet he was listening, he shouldn't even __bother __listening if he thinks my mental chatter is mind-numbingly boring! I can think what I like, he should just learn not to eavesdrop! __And, _she added as she heard me laugh_, he's probably __still__ listening! _

I chuckled dryly; making my way to the library, the faint glow of the fireplace throwing an eerie glow underneath the door, the orange blush dancing across the floor, stretching as much as it could to the opposite wall, I sought out my old friend and any news he may have on our new enemy.

**A/N: I actually carried this bit on for quite a while, but I decided to shorten it for your own sanity. I've made a promise to myself that I'll update practically everything together though, so you don't get really annoyed :P see you soon. **

**XPoisonX**


	11. The Late Anais

**Chapter 11**

**Alucard.**

**-&-**

The chorus of the keyboard and Walter's heartbeat reached my ears before the sound of Walter's exasperated sigh; the chorus paused, a single click of, no doubt, the 'enter' key echoed around the room like the sound of the click of an empty gun-barrel.

The chair reclined and I stepped around a bookcase to see Walter leaning back in the high-backed leather office chair, his aged face wrinkled in annoyance. "Something bothering you, old friend?" I asked, Walter's head snapping in my direction at the sudden break of silence. I made my way to the desk, gazing at the documents on the screen over the red tint of my sunglasses.

"The Berkshire mission earlier on last week tells us that there is someone else controlling the abduction of these women." Walter looked over to me briefly, the light flickering in the glass of his monocle, "I've looked at all the other records of the other kidnappers, there is _nothing _linking them, in any way, except this Corinne and Mathias. And their identity is a mystery to us."

"Perhaps." The doors to the library opened before I could finish and Molly stepped around the corner, heartbeat above average.

"Walter, could I possibly borrow the computer quickly?" She asked. Walter frowned.

"This computer is for the exclusive use of Integra or myself, Miss Molly,"

"You can watch what I'm doing if you want." Molly's heartbeat returned to it's usual pace; her eyes were alight with fight and determination, leading one to believe she had just done a few laps of the garden. Walter stood up and offered her the chair, a fleeting smile flashed upon Molly's angular features and she skirted around me and sat in the chair, quickly navigating the computer to open to the internet and opening up a secure site. "Er..Miss Molly?" Walter frowned as she carried on and typed in a password quickly (though slow enough for me to catch "ProS019"). She found a series of files- Philip McPhail, Anya Kilokoffski, "Jane Doe"- quickly scanned each one in turn before searching the site for more files. "May I ask what you are looking for?"

"The bitch that's taken over." Molly answered coolly. She returned to a public messaging site, typed in an email address and grinned wickedly as she saw the five or so emails (bottom to top): "Phil McPhail, RE: Jadzia and Zosia- mis yoo. Top-hat"., "Phil McPhail, RE: Rebekka,TOP-HAT, happenings", "Phil McPhail. RE: Rebekka- TOP-HAT. New mistress.", "Phil McPhail. RE: Anya.TOPHAT SOS Worryed", "Phil McPhail. RE :Jadzia TOP-HAT. Gon".

"I set up an email account in Phil's name, all the girls have the password and this is the way we communicate. Top-hat means it's directed at me rather than each other." She paused, looking through the inbox, her brow began to crease, "That's strange." she croaked.

"How?" I asked.

"That was their last message...on the twenty-eighth. They always send an email every week, that's what we do...regular updates, that way I can get over there as quickly as possible should the need arise," she opened each message in turn, starting from the least recent to the most.

_Mis yoo lotz. How ar yoo? Yoo havn't rittan bak in a weak. We get worryed, pet. Kant wate to see yoo, will yoo bee kumming bak nekst weak lyk yoo ueshally do? I hope yoo do, we mis yoo a lott. Zosia iz beeing annoying, shee beleefs that yoo hav left us fore gud- hav yoo? wot hav yoo been dooing? We ar having problums with the freacks, morr freacks ar hyring us- we dont no wot too do- we no yoo wood turn them down, but we arnt geting ovver customars. _

_Jodzia is also very annoying - very, very- because she is being snooty. have you noticed my english? Yes! With the money I getting I get books to learn from. We are doing good on our own. But Phill's friends is getting suspitious, they are think that you still helping us. I am thinking that they will get in on our work soon. Top-hat, please be coming back! _

_Miss you _

_Jodzia _

_xxxxxx_

_Zosia _

_XXXX (I have more big kisses) _

"Are they all foreign?" I asked.

"There were a dozen or so of us last time I checked, but only Jodzia, Zosia, Anya, Rebekka and Emily email me as they have a better grasp on the english language. Emily is the only English girl out of the other girls, and she doesn't email much." At my questioning look she added, "I may or may not have given her a black eye after she set up her own work with Peter—the co-owner to the Lair. But!" She hastily added at seeing Walter's disapproving look, "her stupidity could have gotten her killed and turned her into a ghoul, there is not a single drop of virginity in her blood, and caused more casualties than needed. If giving her a black eye is the only way of getting her to realise that a little insurance in a business transaction can save _lives,_ not just hers but many others, then that is what needs to be done."

"Insurance?"

"I may go after them and brand them first." I laughed.

"Do the freaks put up with that farce for a simple screw?" I asked, Molly raised her eyebrows.

"It is not a farce, it's insurance. They meet up with one of my girls, give the money up-front, I get up behind him, brand his shoulder—everyone wins. That way he, or she, can come back whenever they want, as long as they have the money." I scoff in disbelief, she is encouraging prostitution? I thought. And allows her colleagues to fraternise with _freaks, _I still cannot understand that. "Besides, I only ever let three girls go out a night, they all have phones and they all drink a bottle of holy water and/or 'aqua de vie' before they leave, their blood would be sufficiently disgusting." Molly turned around. "And I know you're thinking I'm an imbecile and cruel to let them go—sending lambs to the slaughter—but that is the only way they can make their money. I could just set them up with humans, but the freaks always pretend to be humans and I'd rather know that they're vampires than end up killing one of my own." Her voice was now quiet as she opened the next email.

_We lost Annaleise. Don't worry, she wasn't taken by a freak, there isnt any mess for you to clean up. One of the customers—Craig—got a bit drunk and beat her, she survived the night and then there was talk of her being deported—but died in the early hours of this morning. Zosia, Jodzia, Anya, Anelie, Dita, Celina, Serafina and Violetta refused to work for the weekend, Anya is especially sad after her unfortunate death and nothing is being done about Craig, he rang us a few hours ago and asked for a girl for the evening, I turned him down. Things aren't doing too bad, I have tried to keep everything in order, I haven't accepted any requests from unknown customers, so we aren't worried about unfortunate freak accidents. _

_Phil's friends are sniffing around...not worried for now. _

_-Rebekka_

_P.S Miss you, you haven't gotten back to us in a while, sweetie. _

I watched Molly's face closely, her jaw flinched but other than that she showed no signs of remorse or loss for her friend; she inhaled and exhaled slowly before turning to the next email.

_We all knew this day would come. One of Phil's friends has figured out we're on our own, she didn't like it much- yes, it's a she. Her name is Corinne, she's quite nice, a bit cold and quiet- like you- but we're already good for business. We have a long list of new clients—Corinne seems to be able to control these lot, without branding them- (not meaning to be disrespectful to your technique- it did get results) a couple more girls- who are freakish, but we don't mind them- and just a broader client range. Corinne even talked Anya- yes, Anya- into doing a gig in Berkshire. Naturally, Corinne will drive her down, so we don't have to worry about our Bulgarian friend getting lost on the rails. _

_But, are you alright? Haven't heard form you in weeks, sweetie, we're getting worried. This is like Phil all over again. _

_-Rebekka_

_P.S Please talk to us soon, the girls miss you and the freakish ones, Jane and Sylvie,- can't wait to meet you, we've told them all about you and your ways, don't you worry. all the best! _

Molly's face was pale, her heartbeat a little quicker than normal, her jaw flinching at an incredible rate. "Corinne was the woman who came to see the abducted girls in Berkshire." I explained to Walter.

"That doesn't sound good." he answered. Molly opened the next email hesitantly, one hand at her mouth as she read:

_help. corinne is not nice. she is cruel. she force me to go to barksheer. she is not good. she not let me write email. i no about men in barksheer. I know they not good. I am fearful. molly, i beg you, return. I leef tomorro, i not stay, she force me to go, i not like to go. she tell me nite last that i stay at barksheer. i scared, i am sad. please, molly. return, tomorro, and be our boss agan. _

_anya_

Molly's face could not have been more pale, her jaw was clenched, anger alight in her eyes as she opened the next email, nostrils flared with anger as she read the last email.

_we leef today. Corinne say we shud moov away for a bit. Anya has disapeered, Emily is gon, Rebekka is gon, Anelie is gon, Sage is gon, Wioletta is gon...all gon. Mattius is a frend of Corinne and is help us moov away for a bit, it will not be hard because we already in england- dont need passport. Zosia sends love, I am too. We dont no wair we go yet, but will tell you wen we ar there. _

_all our love_

_Zosia, Jodzia, Dita, Serafina, Celina. _

_(Adele, Jane, Sybille)_

_xxx_

The date of that final email being almost two weeks ago. "No." Molly was shaking with rage her voice quiet.

"Miss, could you calm down, please," Walter tried to soothe her, resting his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure they are f-"

"No, they are not," She whispered, "I...I let that happen to them, I should have ...done ...something." Molly stood up slowly, head bowed, blood-red hair falling free of the braid and falling into her face, covering her profile from view. She took a shaky breath, "I'm going to bed, feel free to peruse the rest of the emails, they may or may not be helpful, most likely the latter, but, nonetheless..." I could hear effort in her voice, finally she showed sadness—or did she?

Her blue coat disappeared around the door, her combat boots slamming against the stone floor noisily as she made her way, angrily, back to her room.

"I think that might be the first time I've seen her react to the demise of her colleagues." Walter sighed.

"I was thinking the same, Walter, she suppresses emotions that hinder her, that cannot be good for her mental health." Walter chuckled darkly, taking the computer over again and respectfully signing Molly out of her email account. Upon signing out, Walter returned to the files he had busied himself with previously.

"Interesting reading material?" I asked, Walter looked up again briefly.

"Very interesting, but not very thrilling. It's the analysis of Molly's blood," My interest was immediately captured and I stepped behind the chair and read the screen, "her first blood sample tells us that she had levels of R-Omni that would be sufficient enough to kill someone and turn them. Not only that, but, we found that about thirty percent of her blood was infected with dead of dormant R-omni blood cells, while the last seventy percent was brimming with white blood cells and hardly any plasma. How she was and is able to pump that around her body remains a mystery to Izcarius and Rhys at Merris labs; without an MRI scan they cannot find out how it is she survives with such thick blood and how her body works."

"Why they are so interested I don't know."

"Because, with her blood they may be able to find a cure to save those who are bitten by vampires, may be able to save those who are not too far gone or mortally wounded. May be able to find cures to diseases...she has, what was it that Izcarius and Peter called it? 'Miracle blood.'" I raised my eyebrows, it certainly did taste appetizing. "Though they also think she may have leukemia as her white blood cell count is far higher than it should be—it's even more than the count of a young child, but the cells don't seem to be disfigured in any way..."

"She has miracle blood?" I asked. Retaining information was something my mind did subconsciously, and I had a feeling that "miracle blood" had cropped up once or twice in my years of existence, though only one memorable occasion. The Hellsing family had always fought the creatures of the night, had always known of their morbid and sacrilegious existence; and in this knowing they had collected, over centuries, all the information they could on the foul fiends. One of their most prized collections comprised of fifty of so journals written by demons and vampires over a small percentage of their life-span. The findings were usually found on the bodies after their timely demise at the hands of one of the Hellsing descendants; some were sold for entertainment in market places around Europe and Asia, seen as hoaxes and jokes; and one was found in the ruins of a mansion after the French Revolution, the diary belonging to a woman, Anais, which described her existence from the year 1598, though she never divulges the date in which she was turned.

I turned to the glass cabinet between two large, ceiling high bookcases and immediately picked out the latter of the books; the corners slightly charred, the cover stained with blood and clay and whittled with small granules of rubble. "Alucard?" Walter asked as I slid the cabinet door open and gently removed the old volume. It was as heavy as one of the tablets given by God with the ten commandments, and, at this moment in time, just as valuable; it held over two hundred and eighty years of personal ideas, dreams, ambitions and passions. The last time I had read it was just before the second world war—and what a glorious war it had been—more for my own amusement than anything else, but reading it had brought back many of my own memories, ones that I wished to forget.

"I'm certain I have heard that before, my friend, I'm certain of it." I set the book on the desk beside the computer, gently pulled the leather strap around the ragged cover free from the broken buckle and slowly turned the pages. I recalled all of which I had read on each page as I read the first words of the top of each page, my memory so specific that I knew I'd find the page in no time at all.

Some journal entries were longer than other, some taking up half a page others spanning the length of a novel's chapter and she wrote it just as well as any author would have, descriptions of the things she had seen as accurate as she could make them. She confessed that she wrote it so that one day, if she ever forgot, she would be able to relive everything as she once had, that she also thought it a possibility to leave her journal for someone else to read, for someone else to know and to see what it is that she had once seen. She was not delusional when it came to the romantic concept of eternity, every chapter of her life ending with, "Until the next time—if there shall be one." or "I'll most likely be dead by this evening;" though other readers may see this as depression, I saw it as sensibility and wisdom.

I stopped as it came to the end, the final chapter, my eyes quickly scanning the page until I found it:

"_They say my blood is a miracle. I have miracle blood. I am old and yet I am not, my body that of a thirteen year-old, my mind as wise as the one who made us, whether he is still alive we'll never know, and yet I do not feel blessed, though I do not feel cursed. My master, that sly, cruel bastard who I loathe and despise more with every passing decade; sits at the table with me for my supper and watches me hungrily, I won't last long! He has held back for centuries, he has never tasted me (and yet you call him 'master'? I hear you say, that tale is one I no longer remember, but the beast that created my mother forgot of me and left me. Two years later I am created, a doll animated; mother, beside herself with fear as to my sudden appearance— hell's spawn! Sought out the nearest monster who may help ease the pain of my burden and who might that have been? Paris. He was there and he helped and he snared. Mother now dependent on him, calls him master, and my being brought up with him ensured him as my master also. "Never call me father, you are not my blood—how can you be?" is what he says) But I know he wishes he could taste me, just a drop. He's smelt me and he knows that hidden treasures must lurk within my little heart. Well, I say, "Drench your maw, my sweetheart, for I won't be here long!" Ha! That'll show him, won't it! Mother and I will be gone by the end of the week, nay! This evening! I'm two hundred and ninety and still young! Oh, so young! We shall dine with lords not here—the revolt is most disgusting, is it not?_

_"He dares call me his! He dares! My Love now dead at my own hand, because of that monster! And his telling me to destroy my Love's perfect body, made me stay to watch as his eye sockets glowed with fire, as his skin withered away from his bone, the smell intoxicating. How I hate them! All of those foul things called gentlemen, that guise does not fool me any longer._

_"My master, Paris, the hungry beast, came to me last night and he sat on my bed and asked, ever so nicely: "Won't you give your blood to me, this evening, Cherub? Won't you slit your throat so my hunger may be quenched?" I say no, I said no! And then what he did as my punishment for my alleged defiance was more than it should have been. If I would not satisfy his blood lust what other lust can I satisfy for him? Yes. He ruined me enough, made me perform on him as he would make a common whore, held me down! Beat me! He was cold, not enraged with my defiance, he did not shout just bludgeoned my with his open or closed fists, trampled on my wrist until the snap echoed in my ears. My hate for him is more than the hate Lucifer himself harbors for anyone who treads the path of righteousness! If I thought I hated him yesterday or the day before, I knew not what hate was—this is hate! My miracle blood boils with rage and I shall have my revenge._

_"Mother and I shall leave. I shall lock him in his coffin, leave little silver crosses of farewell along the walls of his crypt and set fire to his precious chateau. Mother will not be impressed, but she has not seen me yet, she is not awake, but when she is perhaps she will see reason for my anger, ruined as I am at the tender age of two hundred and ninety. _

_"I am a demon born from the loins of a corpse; I am no longer His cherub, no longer shall I pretend to myself that I can be good, that I can follow God and his way as anyone else can, our lives do not follow that beauteous pattern weaved by His hand. We shall get away from the monster we call Master and, for mother, "my love", we shall be free at last! I have never tasted freedom. It is sure to taste sweetly, but perhaps such sweetness is deception—deception is sweet. _

_"Liberty. How ironic. Those revolutionists fight for liberty and equality, something I understand only because of Mother's homelessness towards the beginning of her creation- and that is exactly what I wish for! Freedom from the monster, to no longer be referred to as "little one" or be subject to his patronising tones- so often called seductive and sweet by other women. I will be free, even if it costs me my sanity and my soul."_

I finished reading aloud the last part of the final chapter, the only light now the fire as the computer had switched itself off to standby. My old friend sat at the desk, monocle catching and animating the golden glow of the fire. "She wasn't bitten," Walter frowned, "How is that possible? How can a pregnant woman turn into a vampire?"

"Unless she was bitten at the same time as being raped and impregnated." I offered, "But even then the chances are slim, after all, the mother would be dead and the fetus would have no way of growing."

"Unless," Walter paused, "the mother couldn't remember losing her virginity..." I laughed.

"You can taste a virgin's blood, my friend, innocence tastes sweeter and is much more appetising than someone more experienced." Walter cleared his throat.

"But, what did you mean by reading that, do you believe Molly is the product of Anais?"

"Possibly. It would explain a lot: why her heartbeat is so slow, why she can only eat flesh, blood and some plants; why her eyesight is so keen. I even have an inkling she can hear thoughts." It would explain how she knew about Graham's cancer and how she is able to tell when she is being played as a fool with a lie and how she knows Pip is intrigued with her.

"Her mother was Anais." Walter mused aloud, "Now I am intrigued," He shut the computer down and stepped up to my side where he could read the entries clearly. "Her English is good for a French woman in those times."

"She starts in French, then halfway through she writes in fluent English, an amazing skill that seems to have been acquired quite suddenly. She also speaks a little German and Latin, leading one to believe she has been brought up in a rich household that was able to teach her."

"Mmm, talented—but was she talented enough to get away from her Master?" Walter laughed after a moment, "That sounds like pre-twentieth century tragedy." He closed the book and looped the leather through the broken buckle and returned it to the book stand, sliding the cabinet doors closed just as gently. "It's quite late, Alucard, I'm afraid one isn't as young as he used to be,"

"Sleep well, old friend." Walter made a slight inclination of his head, his monocle glistening in the dying light of the fire and slipped out into the corridor back to his room.

Though Molly's origins still remained a mystery, there was a mystery that was perhaps more profound—who was leading the abductions? Corinne had kidnapped the whores whom Molly had associated with, no doubt they were already dead, and had wanted the girls kidnapped in Berkshire. The mass abductions spread throughout the whole of England, across the borders of Scotland and Wales and in certain parts of Ireland.

But hadn't Maxwell, the Vatican's pig, complained that he had had numerous abductions within the capital? Perhaps this mission was more widespread than we first thought, and, if it was, who, or what, would head such a task? Who would be cunning enough to initiate such a scheme and get away with it unnoticed for several months?

I had that **feeling **again.

**A/N: Yep! I've brought back those Nazi bastards! Don't you love me? I bet you do but you don't know it :P**

**Thank you to all reviewers! thank you lots! Next chapter up soon! **

XPoisonX


	12. Confidence

**Captain Pip Bernadette. **

**Chapter 12**

**(A/N: Pip is fun and I think Ol' Big Red disserves a bit of a rest, don't you?) **

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**-&-**

**T**hough Molly was not zee type to fall for colleagues or men fullstop, I seemed to 'ave kidded myself into thinking zat maybe, not today or tomorrow, she would show some sign of 'er affections for me. As I stepped down from zee terrace and into zee garden, I was filled with self-pity and doubt, but, as my slow walk of zee garden progressed, I became positive zat _something might _happen and zat I would 'ave to keep positive and bide my time.

I must 'ave been pacing zee garden for an hour or so, zee night air refreshing and enlightening in my hour of need. The crescent moon grinned down at me as clouds drifted across zee sky and zee spring breeze caught the tendrils of 'air zat has escaped my braid. Molly was an enigma in itself, she hated men—why? She was not at all talkative, nor was she zee type of person to smile or laugh freely—so her laughing at my jokes was out of zee question. But, zere was something about her zat intrigued me...

Was it her understanding of my work? Her coldness? Her love of danger? I knew zat I loved 'er eyes and 'er 'air. Her 'air was such a strange colour, but so beautiful and sleek and shiny. She was quite small and petit, fast and intelligent, easily annoyed—

I laughed as I thought about zee evening I broke her fingers in zee door, how she 'ad settled my worries about blood stains on my seats by smearing blood on my headrest, how she 'ad tackled me in zee kitchen quite recently when I was on zee phone to an ex-girlfriend. To counter my French shouting down zee phone, she had shouted back, in perfect French: "If you don't shut up, you loud bastard I'll rip off your nose and force-feed it to you!" and then proceeded to hang-up on Amelie and hold me down over zee kitchen counter. Which, as French grammar for zee English goes, was quite a hard sentence to create. But she 'ad said it with such affection, I thought sarcastically.

I loved zat she was a physical woman, call me a masochist, but I quite enjoyed zee thrill of her anger, she became incredibly passionate when she was angry, non? I paused on my pacing by zee fountain to see Molly sitting on zee bottom step, head in hands and elbows rested on 'er knees. A grin played on my lips as I stepped towards her, zee light from zee living room and kitchen above us casting a long shadow along zee ground; and it was only as I came within six feet of her zat I noticed zat zee light was caught in a droplet of water on 'er cheekbone. She 'id 'er crying well, she made no noise and, in fact, I wonder if she even knew she was crying.

"Molly?" I asked as I approached her, "Are you alright?" I asked, standing at the banisters, ready to leave her alone on her say-so.

"Yes, Captain, I'm just...I had a little bit of bad news, is all." She answered quietly, her voice usually quite quiet anyway making her voice sound more like it came from a mouse. We fell into silence, zee crickets in zee flowerbeds filling zee silence tunefully, zee sound of chatter from zee living room or kitchen drifting down to us through an open window or door. Zee silence was not unbearable, actually, it was quite nice—both of us needed to think, to accept some kind of bad news and zee silence was just what we needed.

I sat down on zee step with her, zee tear upon her cheekbone now gone, rolled away guiltily. Zee orange glow of zee lights seemed to make her blood-red hair look fiery and I noted how ethereal she looked bathed in zee golden glow; not at all like an angel, nor like a demon, more like a deliverer of punishment to zose zat were fool enough to sell their souls to Zee devil. Angel ou demon? She was neither, nor was she human—she was a puzzle.

We sat regarding the glorious garden which gardeners had taken hours to tend to, probably both noting how zee buds of zee flowers were slowly opening up, zee crescent moon bathing zee garden in a silvery glow. "Would you like to talk about it?" I asked after a few more moments. Molly didn't answer at first, but finally nodded.

"You probably understand my...anguish more than anyone else." she sighed pulling 'er 'air back into a long braid, much like my own which was wound around my neck in zee usual way- like my own scarf. "You've lost men in battles, haven't you?"

"Bien sur." I answered, "Any captain of a squad of armed forces should not call themselves 'Captain' until they have felt zee loss of men in battle."

"I worked in Ipswich for a while, I was blackmailed into...prostitution." I could 'ave choked on zee very air I breathed, _Aaah, so zat was why she 'ated men so much? She had been forced to endure zee most disgusting of us... _"I never actually...did anything, I would not stoop so low." She sneered in an instant, "But I became very close to some of my co-workers, most were illegal immigrants and they taught me a lot about their own lives and told me their hopes, dreams—why they had stooped to deal with such creatures. And after the pimp who was blackmailing me vanished I stayed to help them, to get them better jobs to get them more money so they could save up or send it back to their loved ones. Then I left and they were taken over by the very woman who was heading the kidnapping operations in Berkshire! They're all gone." She sighed, glaring at the sky hatefully, "It was a small blow when I heard Anya, a close colleague of mine, was killed and slaughtered but to hear that all of them: Anya, Anneliese, Anelie, Sozia, Jodzia, Emily, Rebekka, Violetta, Dita, Cerlina, Serafina...all of them, gone—and I could've saved them!"

I'd moved closer to her as she spoke to me, chest swelling with pride at being zee one she would confide in, "That is what hurts the most...That I failed them; that they are hurt and scared and I could've stopped it. No doubt they hate me...as I hate myself." her head was now bowed, a portion of her 'air falling free from zee braid as if conjured to shield her disgraced face from my eyes.

"Now, Molly, why would you hate yourself?" I asked, touching 'er shoulder lightly, shyly—worried she'd hate me and sprint off and never talk to me again.

_"Because..._I never, _never_, let myself get so close to people. I don't make friends, even the little boy—my little Jack—who I saved from those freaks, I didn't even allow myself to get attached to him—Lord, how I miss him now, though. I don't get close to people because those I do get close to end up dead, on a cold slab somewhere having their body being pieced back together like some macabre jigsaw puzzle! My mother: dead, ripped to pieces, raped and drained of all the life she had. Barnibus: beaten, tortured and now agoraphobic, Stephen and Frederick: in hiding, Alice: dead, and Craig ran off to find himself new life." Molly sighed, shaking her head. "All those close to me die: my babies, my friends, my family. They all die. I know I am death to all who grace me with their presence, so I keep my distance, stay cold, never get to know them well enough to like them because I know I will be faced with a loss at the end of it all. And I hate showing weakness, my weakness being sympathy, conscience, those human things I wish I did not possess, they only get you hurt and turn you bitter and twisted." She fell silent, 'er voice had raised to a shout and she glared up at the moon, revealing her visage, glistening with a second tear. Her body shook as zee anger faded and zee sorrow replaced it.

"If you did not feel 'zose human things' you would be a monster—do you want to be a monster?" I asked.

"Become a monster?" Molly asked; more as though she were toying with zee idea, "If it meant not feeling these emotions, loss and sorrow, then yes. I would become the world's most hated monster, a creature that laughs at the pain of others because I know i cannot feel it any longer. Such primitive feelings would be below me." I shook my head slowly, sighing.

"If you were a monster you would be below _us,_ zese emotions are what makes us more superior to animals, zey are not 'primitive', they are...avant-garde! Without zese emotions you would be a monster, you would be free from pain, but you would also be without zee ability to love, to sympathise. And, as I have heard, you _do _sympathise and zat is what makes you beautiful, Molly, without love you would be an ugly and disgusting thing."

"I am hardly beautiful, Pip, if anything, I am plain. Beauty is superficial and superfluous, I could be as hideous as a hag and I wouldn't care, only those looking at me would." Molly chuckled darkly and we fell into silence again. _Should I? _I thought, I dared... I slung my arm around her shoulders, feeling how 'er body tensed with suspicion and mistrust at first and zen softened and moved closer to my side. She rested her 'ead against my chest, inhaling and exhaling slowly and calmly. It was a feeling I knew I would have to savour—it wouldn't happen again—and we sat in a comfortable embrace for what seemed like only minutes but must have been at least an hour, in complete silence we thought whatever we wanted, comfortable in each other's company.

"Pip?"

"Mmm?"

"Speak French to me." I frowned.

"Speak French? _Why would you like me to do that?_" I asked in French, angling my 'ead away so I could see zee smile spread across 'er lips, her nose creasing from zee full beam. "_Because, my mother used to speak to me in French when I was upset, it is a beautiful language and it calms me- and you have a nice accent, are you from the south?" _She asked, looking up at me, a lopsided smile replacing zee grin.

_"Oui. I lived near to the border with my mother, father and three older brothers." _I answered.

"_What was your house like? Did you have a big garden? Are you a city-dweller?" _I laughed in answer and zen articulated an answer, worried she may not understand some of what I said.

_"We had a small cottage and converted stables and barn, the new barn and stables were more fitting for our animals, y'see? We had four acres of land to ourselves, some fields used for grazing cattle- which we slaughtered, prepared and sold ourselves- and two for our own devices, we had parties there, barbeques and picnics, summer was, no doubt, my favourite time of year." _Molly moved closer to me, 'er nose creasing with a smile and her hair slowly falling back into her face. "_But why do you want to know all this?"_

_"I don't, I simply like hearing you speak, speak more,"_

_"Err, well...Hmm. The sky is particularly beautiful tonight, wouldn't you agree? The stars are beautiful, they glisten marvelously..." _I carried on with my twittering for a few more minutes until I paused and asked, "_Why do you like me speaking French so much, other than it calms you? You smile more genuinely than I have ever seen when I speak French—why is this?"_

_"I can remember..." _She paused and returned to speaking in English, "And yet I cannot. I know there are things I have forgotten, and when I hear French I know there is something...I remember it, but for the briefest second and then it's gone- I don't know what it is I'm remembering, sometimes I remember something that makes me smile other times I end up beating the French speaker into oblivion." She chuckled to herself darkly. "But, all things considering, I'm in quite an amiable mood this evening—you do not need to worry, Captain."

"I never do, I find your beatings quite entertaining, I'd prefer if you'd call me Pip, Molly,"

"Masochistic bugger, and Pip it shall be." Molly chuckled again, a sad smile playing on 'er lips as she stood up and stretched, I stood also, standing nine or so inches taller zan 'er. She walked around to the fountain and sat down on the edge, dipping 'er fingers in the water absent-mindedly. I leant again zee wall nearest to her and watched her, she glanced up.

"I meant to apologise for my outbursts this past week or so."

"Non apology needed, Molly, I was in zee wrong...though your beating after my chat to Amelie on my phone was unnecessary." zee crescent moon reflected in the surface, a ghostly mimic of the lopsided grin Molly gave me.

"Oh, no, you deserved it then, Pip. You were bad-mouthing her." I frowned.

"Because she was trying to get me to go back to 'er. I 'ave no intention of staying with zat woman any longer—she is...intolerable!"

"Perhaps she is lonely?" I scoff in reply.

"Oh, no, she wants me back so she can get herself pregnant and blame it all on me! Make me pay maintenance and act zee useless father, I will not 'ave eet."

"You won't?"

"Of course not! If I want a child I will settle down and 'ave one, but at zis moment in time I do not feel inclined to 'ave one—my work would get in zee way. And," I chuckled softly, " 'oo would 'ave zis Cyclops?" I pointed to my eye-patch. Molly smiled briefly.

"You're being silly, Cap—Pip, your lack of a second eye would have nothing to do with a woman's disinterest."

"I bet to differ, Molly." I propped my foot on zee edge of zee fountain and leant forwards, my face inches from 'er's. "Amelie 'as not seen me since, and any uzzer woman seems compelled to run when zey see I 'ave been in zee wars." Molly raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"You are going for the wrong women, Anya was engaged to a man who lost four fingers from one hand during a civil war—he was very good at hitch-hiking though."

"Your point being?"

"You go for the women who hate imperfection, who spend enough time making themselves look perfect that being seen with a man who has but one single imperfection would make them rip out their own hair." She paused, "Emily, snobbish Emily, dated a man with a prosthetic limb...you have an eyepatch—so what? I have worse than you."

"I doubt that," I scoff.

"Well, I don't. Men are different you see. If I ever found the need to please one he would have to put up with a torso completely marred by scars, a body, so stressed and put to such lengths, that has not yet found its way to maturity. I have the body of a pre-adolescent, and am sick of it. I hate women who are vain, and yet I am not happy with my body, why can't I have the curves a woman has? You have it much better than me; I will most likely end up being the subject to a pedophile's fancies, not a normal man-"

"I don't know, I know men 'oo are intrigued by you." Molly frowned. _Aah, but she knows which men do..._I thought.

"But I am not intrigued by them." She whispered, zat stung. "But nor am I intrigued with any man...only when a man deserves my trust shall a man also deserve my affections." I nodded, my 'ead moving closer to 'ers, her breath caught in 'er throat and I dared, again I dared!

My lips brushed hers and she made no move to escape me, nor did she reciprocate my actions. I would not dare further than a simple kiss, but I lingered enough to taste her lips to caress her cheek, and zen pulled away. Molly did not seem at all fazed, she blinked, "I knew you wanted to do that." she whispered and with zat she stood up and left. I straightened up and followed 'er with my gaze as she made her way silently up zee stairs and into zee kitchen.

"Molly, where are you—?"

"Good night," I heard her answer quickly, as an unknown person cursed under her breath I realised it was Seras. I sighed, running my hand through my 'air and zen made my way to zee kitchen.

"Hey, did you see Molly..." Seras stopped in mid-sentence and then laughed, "Oh-ho! You...and she..." She jumped forwards, examining my face keenly, "I reckon you kissed her, am I right?" Without an answer she nodded to 'erself, "and she didn't slap y'? You were in luck, mate! Oh-ho! Wait until Grammy-"

"No, Seras, I am not in zee mood," I took Seras by both shoulders and moved 'er out of my way.

"Fine, I won't say a word..." she mumbled as I made my way back to my room, hands in pockets, braid swinging behind me.

"Did you have a good chat?" Alucard asked as I came to a corner, he leant against zee wall casually and flashed a smirk at me.

"Not now, Alucard."

"I knew it wouldn't end well."

"I think zat Molly would get razzer peeved is she realised zat you and Seras both knew about zis, can we just keep it quiet, I know she will not be happy with any rumours." Alucard still smirked at me.

"What did you do?" I tried to keep my face blank, my mind following suit, but somehow he seemed to know, he tutted under his breath, "I'm surprised you can still walk." Alucard laughed and pushed past me, "Have a good night's rest, Captain." he jibed, knowing full well zat I would find sleep practically impossible.

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**A/N: Teehee...sorry...wanted to just add that in...:P:P:P well, goodnight, I'm knackered and on such a hiiiiigh! (no drugs needed) maybe its sugar, eh? well. night night my possums! yack yack!**

**hug**

**XpoisonX**


	13. The Repast

Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Alucard:**

**A/N: If you've been waiting for more fighting than here you are! not really necessary to the plot (Actually, it is VERY necessary) but in their line of work they have little jobs along the way so this is just one of those little freak outbreaks that could lead to doom and destruction but, most likely, get stopped by Alucard's rockin' ways :P May be some chat, lots of fighting, rated for infrequent coarse language and sexual references...(little Beth: anything else?) nah, I think that's about it. Oh, by the way, is everyone cool with my Pip POV? review pleeeeeease! in deeeeeeeeeeeeed (its an eagle radio thing :P) 96.4 :P:P:P shame they aint DAB ¬¬**

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**I**'d missed the action, the fighting and the winning; Integra had ordered for us to be dispatched to Croydon, where they were having some freak problems. Molly's eyes flashed viciously a cruel half-smirk at her lips as we stepped out into the street, "It's good to be fighting again." She sighed contentedly, I answered with my own approval. Seras stumbled out of the car, "So," she brushed her spiky hair out of her eyes, "I'll take to the roofs or find a place to lie in wait and you can herd the bastards this way, right?"

"Sounds as good a plan as any." I answered, my dead heart becoming alive with anticipation. I knew the fight wouldn't be much, after all, they were only those pathetic freaks I defeat time after time, but the very idea of being able to stretch my wings and use my weapons again was positively intoxicating.

"There were three disturbances on Garbett's drive, shall we start there?" She asked.

"We should go in opposite directions," I commanded, "kill as many as you can—"

Molly glared at me, 'You don't think I can kill them all?' Her eyes flashed angrily,

"—and then the rest lead this way for the Police Girl to finish off. You'll enjoy that, won't you, Police Girl?" Seras pulled a face. _It's a job, don't expect me to enjoy it, _she thought sulkily.

"Right." Molly turned back to the car, finding her crossbow in the trunk she slung it onto her shoulder, "See you in a few minutes." She made her way down a street to the right.

This was perhaps one of the more shabby streets in Croydon, council houses flanked the street, the street-lamps mostly broken and the few left flickering and faint; the moon and stars would be our only light for this evening. All the curtains were closed; the sound of radio transmissions telling families to stay inside as there had been a series of terrorist attacks in the area and may be caught in a cross-fire. Oh, I loved the media, people will believe anything you tell them if it comes from a television presenter, so gullible, such little sheep—and me the hungry wolf.

I didn't want to waste any more time, I was hungry for death and destruction, to feel bones crack beneath my fingers, for my own fangs to rip through throats and spill blood. Seras took the Harkonnen and set it up expertly, giving me the thumbs up before stepping into the shadows where she wouldn't be noticed. I grinned, yes, tonight would be fantastic.

I turned down the left road, quickly moving down the street, eyes searching, ears listening for the sound of vampiric and bloodthirsty thoughts. The single working street lamp at the corner of the road on a turning to a cul-de-sac flickered out, submerging me in total darkness, desirable conditions for a hunter and his unknowing prey. The moon grinned above me, sickly awaiting the sadistic performance, waiting for the screams to echo around the buildings and roads- to haunt any listeners for the rest of their lives. Perhaps I was intent on pain and suffering because I had not inflicted it in quite a while; I had wounded Molly, yes, but that hardly satisfied a craving for fear and agony- she had a very high pain threshold and was hardly ever scared. It had taken all my self-control not to help the pain she had suffered while she lay defenceless beneath me, her fragile wrists splintering and healing beneath my fingers as I fought against the urge to taste her blood and strum her tendons and ligaments like a harp.

There it was, the sound of blood-thirsty thoughts, of a disgusting freak intent on rape and massacre, _This one looks nice...reaaal nice, I could do her right now, she'd enjoy it, pretty little thing. _I made my way apathetically up the wall and through the window into the bedroom where a freak stood over his intended prey. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"What the—" he immediately went for his gun, so unpractised was he that he fumbled for too long and didn't even have time to lift the useless weapon as I bit off his head, swerving towards him my jaws splintering his skull easily. I devoured his body, grinning and laughing under my breath as bones snapped; organs were mixed with the blood to make a sickly smoothie. I regained my composure, the blood of my victims crawling down the walls and returning to me, my smile broadening as my hunger was being filled—but I wanted more. I observed the still sleeping girl, the lingering scent of perfumes quite pleasant; she rolled over, muttering to herself and I left her to her dreams and fantasies, no nightmares, completely oblivious to the pain I had just saved her from.

Her parents and older siblings were not quite as lucky. The downstairs living room was smeared with wasted blood, the bodies ripped to pieces and littered about, limbs stuck on the sconces, heads set on the coffee table, eyes lolling into the skulls, a macabre dinner party. I would have to tell someone to clear this up and take the girl to social services, but that could wait; I could hear more prey in the streets, in the gardens, in the houses, abrupt cries reaching my ears. I grinned again and set off, moving through the gardens silently, with a deathly elegance that Molly had remarked upon once or twice.

I toyed with my prey first, three freaks I'd found in the gardens trying to run away with one leg or no legs at all; some still half-decent enough to fight back until their remains were cradled by my hungry stomach. Most were male, most had a vicious intent to find a virgin and bleed her dry—their blood too lovely to ignore—and then desecrate their remains.

The next couple was luckier, we exchanged enraged insults and then shot the hell out of each other, their bodies turning to ash as the silver bullet penetrated their cold, dead hearts. I returned to the streets; smiling to myself amiably, found a single freak left, scared and alone.

"Are you lost?" I asked the girl, she turned around, her lips pouting, eyes watery.

"I...I..."

"I think this is where you run, freak." I chortled, her face fell and she sprinted, sobbing and calling for her friends to save her- no-one would come. I followed her slowly, bathing in the glory of her terror and herded her towards Seras' waiting place, it would be anticlimactic but Seras disserved a kill for the evening as well, I wasn't one to be selfish.

I wondered how Molly was doing, I had heard slight screams on the breeze earlier, but that could have been a freak's victims, rather than Molly's.

I returned to Seras' side, "I think I've made this quite easy for you, Police Girl." Draculina ignored me, finger poised over the trigger. The female figure sprinted into the street, right at us and Seras pulled the trigger, the shell within it propelled towards her and tore her apart, and she fell to the floor, ashes to ashes, dust to dust...

"Has Molly appeared yet?" I asked, satisfied with the little entertainment I had been presented with. The Police Girl straightened up, pulling her legs underneath her, sitting on her knees in such a way that she could return to the Harkonnen and shoot quickly if another figure should appear. "No. You took your time, Master."

"I haven't had any fun for a while, I thought I'd entertain myself on this beautiful evening." The Police Girl shuddered, but said nothing in response. "Hmm, she is taking her time. Perhaps one of the freaks has beaten her."

"Not blood likely!" Came a shout from a garden down the road, I turned to see Molly sitting on a wall, reclining against a garish gargoyle.

"Did you kill them all?" I asked, making my way towards her, she flashed a smile; I noticed the blood on her hands and on the pocket of her overcoat.

"Most of them, the next one should turn up just about...now." A figure appeared from an alley running between two houses; Molly pulled out her gun and blew off his head, blood and brains smearing the wall of the nearest house. "Be right back." Molly hopped down from the wall and sauntered up the alley, I peered around the corner to see her vaulting over a fence. A head popped up, followed by shoulders and a chest, Molly set about attacking him.

I moved closer to watch her fight; a second freak vaulting over a fence to join in with the fight and possible kill—no doubt they could smell there was something different about her. I came closer, watching coolly as she threw several punches into the first vampires face, kicked him squarely between the legs, grabbed onto his arm and slammed his head into the brick wall of a shed nearest to her. The second freak set upon her, "Alright, bitch, wanna get screwed hard and fast?" His eyes flashed with satisfaction, Molly laughed, unnerved and not at all worried.

"Not particularly, I'm _way _out of your league!" She head-butted him, pushed him back, punched him, a sickening crunch of his nose breaking beneath her knuckles. The moon's light flashed upon her face, her skin suddenly seemed paler, her teeth more deadly and lethal, her eyes glowing with vengeance and anger. An image of her ripping into the apple flitted into my mind and just as she had lunged forwards and ripped into the apple she lunged forwards and ripped out his throat, the freak squealed like a pig. I grinned as she finished her gluttonous drinking and threw the still conscious freak onto the patio. He rolled and tried to squirm away, Molly grabbed onto a handful of his hair and dragged him towards the closed parasol and a fleeting grin passed across her blood-smeared face as she lifted him up and impaled him. My smile disappeared, even for Molly that out of character, she laughed cruelly, licking her lips hungrily. She moved back in as the freak twitched into unconsciousness and ripped into his throat again, draining the last of his blood, her silver pendant falling from inside her blouse onto his blood-stained shirt and his flesh turned to ash.

She finished him off with her silver dagger, his body turning to ash around the parasol, the blood stains on the cloth of the parasol and on the table the only evidence of his existence. I watched as she stumbled towards a tap over a small flowerbed, turned it on and washed her face of the blood and rinsed out her mouth. "You may want to finish off that one." I motioned my thumb over my shoulder to the moaning lump beside the shed.

"Nothing would give me more pleasure." She answered sarcastically. She paused, selecting her weapon—her 1911—and walked past me, the smell of blood clinging to her and mingling with the very faint odour of her own septic blood. "You bitch, I'm gonna—"

"Save it, what I'm going to say may serve you well in hell." With her boot she rolled him onto his back and shot his feet, the gunshots echoing around the estate followed by the barking of dogs, "Get used to this." She shot at the knee, he screeched in agony, "Because in hell there is only this." She shot him twice in the stomach, "Pain, you impotent bastard, is soon to be a very good acquaintance of yours." And with that she shot him in the chest, his remains crumbling to dust. She seemed unperturbed as she sought out her crossbow, glistening lethally amongst the tangled thorns of a rose bush.

As she turned back to me, I noticed her teeth; long, pointed serpentine things that glistened lethally underneath her deep-red lips, her strong jaw wasn't set as it usually was and it took me a moment to return to her unusually pale blue eyes and see the look in them. "Hungry?" I asked. She blinked and the hungry look disappeared, she had been ogling me like her next meal...

"No." She replied curtly, "Why would I be? I only attacked him in that way to give him a taste of his own medicine!" She answered vehemently. I smirked at her defensiveness.

"Should I call you kin? Another fellow agent of darkness?" Molly sneered.

"I'm. Not. Dead." She snarled, stepping closer to me, her body rigid and shaking with rage.

"My, Little Blue, what big teeth you have." I smirked again, taking pleasure in her anger as she swung her crossbow up onto her shoulder, her arm tensing- so reminiscent of the first evening we met. "I fought it, I'm not ready to die yet, I will not give in." She answered, stepping up even closer, our bodies perhaps only a quarter of an inch away from touching. She stood on her toes, eyes narrowed and boring into my own with such ferocity that I thought she might have tried to impale me or rip into me as she had the freaks—she was sorely mistaken if she thought I would not attack her back.

"You do not scare me, Molly." I answered calmly, though secretly enjoying the conflict.

"Neither do you me at this moment in time." She sneered, turning on her heel and striding away from me, body still tense, anger radiating off her in waves and she paused at a silver birch, and rearranging a holster on her crossbow and slinging it over her shoulder. She jumped, immediately clasping onto one of the lower branches and swinging herself up onto the bough, a glimpse of porcelain thigh and silver gun-barrel preceding this action. I stepped through the wall easily, once again smiling inwardly at the folly of human ways.

I caught up to her with two strides in the alley, "That kill was worthy of Tepes." I chuckled, an in joke that not many others understood.

"Well, next time you see him tell him he has competition." Molly snapped, my smile widening as I walked in step with her, though Molly's agitation was becoming slightly passé I couldn't get rid of the smile on my face, the thrill of a little fight, though with unworthy opponents; the satisfying feeling that comes with a gluttonous evening and a beautiful evening making it impossible for me to hide my need for more carnage.

Blue sighed loudly as we walked back up the main street, "You won't say anything?" She asked, I looked down at her, her gaze trained on the car underneath the only unwavering light. "I'll have to mention this to Integra, I'm afraid, Molly. If it appears you haven't escaped vampirism, then she, Izcarius and Peter will need to be informed,"

"I _have_ fought it." She wheeled around and stepped in front of me, "I was hungry, when I'm hungry I eat,"

"The fact that you have some rather lethal looking fangs only proves that you are lying." I answered, taking her jaw in one of my hands and forcing her to open her mouth to see those two glistening fangs again. I toyed with her, moving her head to one side and the next as a puppet master would her eyes were glowing with rage, "You're very playful this evening." Blue had had enough, she snapped.

She jerked away, hand seeking out the dagger from her boot and dexterously flipping it into her fingers and she lunged forwards to teach me a lesson; but, to me, it seemed that a film was playing in slow motion or was a slideshow, moving in slow pictures and I watched calmly and moved at the very last minute to catch her wrist. "Aren't we tense?" I sniggered.

"I'm not lying." she hissed. I inched towards her ear, she tensed, far too aware of how easily I could rip her neck to pieces.

"Prove it, Blue." I whispered, as soon as I said it I felt the mental block between us recede and I asked again, "Have you resorted to vampirism? Do you usually attack like that when you are starved?"

I locked her eyes in my gaze and snaked my way into her mind as she answered: "I am no vampire, no creature of darkness, nor—though I may look it and argue that I am—am I quite human." There was no lie there, just doubt in herself- she didn't know who she was, or, more accurately, what she was.

"If you have these special abilities, Blue." She knocked me back from her mind and built up the wall, the static deafening, "Then perhaps you could find solace in becoming a permanent member of the Hellsing Organisation. We would be able to care for you—" at her contemptuous glare I added: "If need be. If you were to find yourself in trouble we could help you, find you—if you needed sheltering we could give you sanctuary." Molly rolled her eyes.

"I prefer to work on my own, thanks. Besides," I walked around her and motioned for to follow, Seras had returned to the car, "putting up with all those male creatures everyday, I'd start to feel very agitated and disgusted."

A click echoed down the road, no thoughts came to me, so I carried on with Molly at my side. The tingle of pain across my head and the annoyance at being caught of guard hit me before the shot echoed around the street; I span, pulled my faithful jackal from the inside of my coat and turned to face my dishonourable opponent as the tingling of bone and flesh healing ran along my skull. He wasn't much; a worthless, brainless vampire who leaned to one side and grinned at us as an imbecile would and before i could shoot he fell to his knees, blood staining his crotch. I grinned; Molly had got their first, "For me? You shouldn't have,"

The imbecile stood back up, panting like a maddened animal and pulled the arrow shaft out of the wound between his legs, howling as his lower body slowly became red with blood. "Idiot," Molly scoffed as he held up his gun and shot at Molly, not saying a word, "You pathetic scum!" She spat vehemently, "I'll finish you no—"

"Oh, please don't, I've waited so long to talk to you." He called, his face was pained, his body doubled over and yet his voice was steady, deep and smooth. Molly went rigid, "I know, my body is misleading—pathetic; imbecilic, even—but _my _mind is what counts, _my _voice." He chortled to himself.

"Delusional freak." I muttered, aiming, Molly stepped in front of me.

"Do I know you?" She asked. I was tempted to knock her out of the way, but something about her tone caught my ear, made me pause and listen to the freaks replies.

"You know most people, you just don't _remember_. Y'know, angel, I think you have some pretty eyes on you...wouldn't it be a shame if I were to steal them from you? I like your mouth too...not incredibly beautiful, but could put to good use."

"You disgusting arsehole!" Molly shot several bolts into his torso and one in his throat, he fell on his back, blood pooling around him, body contorting in agony as silver contaminated his blood, and yet his voice was still steady.

"Alucard, have you figured out the great puzzle yet? Why women are disappearing from our precious England? Why pregnant women and virgins are disappearing on the continent as well as here? Come on, you're intrigued, I'm sure,"

"I am. But should I really waste time asking you questions if you do know anything?" I grinned sickly and shoved Molly out of the way, grabbing the already weak body, the voice still steady, unwavering and mocking. I knew, without looking behind me, that the voice was getting to Molly, I could hear her heartbeat reached an enraged crescendo. I sunk my razor-like teeth into his throat, making short work of him, and still he talked- almost as if we were in the middle of some friendly conversation, granted, his illusion of idiocy came in useful when he was as articulate as a gentleman.

Strangely, for someone so articulate, there was nothing—and I mean nothing. No thoughts, emotions, no fear, no memories. "Well, as a parting gift I think it only fair to point you in the right direction—Maximus. Now, I've had quite had my fun for this evening, have a good rest tonight, 'Blue'." He fell silent, his body turned to ash as I threw him away from me.

"How was draining him helping our situation?" Molly screamed, I observed her silently and finally answered.

"It helps as when you devour a person's blood you can relive memories and emotions depending on how much you drink," she frowned.

"You tasted my blood..." She fell silent as I smirked, a blush creeping up her throat to settle on her cheeks, the pink showing up the lines of scars on her cheek.

"It was just easier to get into you head, there was not enough for me to get a full memory." I frowned, "But, it seems strange that I would drain a vampire of all his blood and not one memory, emotion or thought would make itself apparent." Far too strange...

"So we still don't know anything?"

"No, except what he told us, and if that is the right direction for our enquiry, which I doubt it is, then we're still at square one. Maximus is near impossible to find unless he wants to be found, he used to be prone to slip-ups, but the disgrace of a vampire has become more and more tactful this year. How I'd love to rip that scheming pig apart."

"I met him once." A fleeting smile crossed her lips, "He didn't enjoy it, but neither did I." Her smile vanished and we made our way back to the cars.

"I take it you branded him and he gave you one of those scars?" Blue laughed dryly.

"He gave me this beauty." She ran her finger along her throat, the veins just visible beneath her porcelain flesh, my mouth watered as the blue turned black and then blue again—I could remember the taste so clearly—"I was able to get close enough to brand him, yes, a month of constant work, but one of his little friends was able to get me back. Maximus didn't lay a finger on me, he clicked his fingers and watched as I bled, supposedly falling unconscious." We rounded a corner and spotted Seras reclined on the bonnet of a car, the harkonnen, in its case, was leant against the front door. She was flirting with the mercenaries again.

"As soon as they disappeared I called in a favour to Stephen and had him fix most of it up but he insisted I get to a hospital and really I only let them make sure the stitches were fine and add some more and then left, I hate doctors."

"You're quite tenacious for a child, Molly,"

"Child? Ha! Barely, the things I've witnessed..." She trailed off.

"Police Girl, what do you think you're doing?" I asked; Seras jumped on to her feet quickly.

"Master, Sir, I was just talking with...I'll get in the car," Seras cradled her precious weapon's case and deposited it in the trunk and returned to the front seat as Molly got in the back and I sat in the passenger seat, silently fuming at how insanely small these vehicles were.

"Will you tell Sir Hellsing this evening?" Blue asked as Seras pulled out and drove back to the Manor.

"Naturally." I answered. Questions were starting to annoy me, my quite amiable mood in anticipation of a fight and the relaxed and laissez-faire attitude I had after a fight had worn off, to leave me with annoyance and boredom. Seldom had I felt boredom in my first years as one of the undead, but a few centuries of wandering the earth can get quite repetitive; it is only the real wars and battles—the worthy opponent, The Millennium, being one—that kept, and keep, me near sanity; without it I would dare to say I would be far more unapproachable, far more dangerous and chaotic. During a battle I would not dance between sanity and insanity- it would be only a dance of insanity that I would partake in joyously, with sanity being a characteristic that drove me on to kill and maim more so.

"If you need me, give me a shout." Molly sighed, sitting back and tipping the rim of her hat over her eyes. Slowly her heartbeat all but stopped and she started to mutter silently, and then came her thoughts—obviously she did not know that her mental defences were down as she rested.

"So." The Police Girl tried to create conversation, her eyes still on the road, but she worried her lip and thought desperately what she could say. _Favourite colour? No. If you could be an anim...no. Ah! _"What is it you will be telling Integra, Master?" Her thoughts amused me occasionally, and this was one of those rare occasions when I gave a small smile in accordance to those thoughts.

"All these questions are becoming quite tiresome, can't you sit in silence, or would it kill you to keep your mouth shut for a bit?" I asked, Seras frowned.

"Sorry, Master,"

"We bumped into a vampire with some information on all these mysterious disappearances, apparently it is Maximus' doing." I answered eventually. Seras relaxed.

"Oh, well, at least we know who we're dealing with, it won't be too hard; we know how he works,"

"Draculina, it would be stupid to use the same battle tactics in row with exactly the same opponent."

"Ah, but that is where you are wrong, he'll be expecting us to think that he'll have more tactics, when he could use the same ones again and go unnoticed."

"But you could also argue that we would see the similarities in tactics early."

"Fine," Seras fell silent. Ah, bliss. Her teenaged-like tendencies could be quite irritating, but, could also be entertaining when provoked. The rest of the journey was silent, and I took to listening to Molly's thoughts that spun away from her, still as calculating as when she was awake as she was still in that strange limbo between asleep and awake.

Blue's little murmurs were sweet; I could pick up words in her gobbledygook: "crazy", "beautiful", "leave", "frightened," "bastards" and a list of profanities. "She swears in 'er sleep, how wonderful." Seras grumbled, turning into the road leading up to our home. Molly jolted upright, mumbling and catching her hat before it fell away from her.

"How long was I...a-a-a'lee-eep?" She asked yawning and stretching in a feline manner.

"Not too long." Molly set her hat on her head and cradled her crossbow to herself, "I shall tell Integra our news, perhaps it would be best if you had some rest—you look exhausted,"

"Mmm, suppose, I don't usually fall asleep everywhere, I think it may be that repast I enjoyed."

" Repast', you had something to eat, when?" Seras asked, _Haven't seen her eat in a few days...must have been one big meal. _The Police Girl had no idea how right she was.

"Just a passing meal," Molly answered quickly, immediately opening the car door and making towards the main doors as Seras stopped. The secret of her feasting would be a problem, I could not keep this information from my Master; but, also, Molly was a loose cannon, if she felt betrayed she would no doubt leave, and she was becoming both useful and interesting.

* * *

**A/N: Nothing to report except: MCR are not creating a cult of suicidal teenagers! so BBC news can suck my snowcone! (Hence the sexual reference rating XD)**


	14. O Negative

Alucard

**Alucard**

**Chapter 14**

A?N: Nothing to say, except enjoy, and be aware of the POV change :P:P

"Well, I'm going to talk to Peter." Seras sighed, running her fingers through her spiky hair.

"When I become remotely concerned about what you wish to do, I will ask you, Draculina." I smirked as I left the car, feeling Seras' agitation radiating off her. I had once thought it best to secede mine and Seras' master-servant relationship as soon as possible; but I was quite happy that I had now allowed her to stay with me, I'd been alone for a little too long. Doubtless, at some point I will get annoyed with her presence and the responsibility and either kill her myself or force-feed her my blood, but I saw that day as a dot on a horizon—I just enjoyed scorning her too much, and her reactions were always comical.

Integra stood before the window, arms folded, her shadow stretching to the door beside the desk. "I take it all is well, servant?" Her icy tones cut through the silence as I crept up behind her.

"Everything went perfectly well. A few events ensued, of which I'm sure you will be very interested in hearing about." Integra glanced my way and then returned her gaze to the tree tops and the heads of closed flowers beneath the window.

"Go on,"

"One of the vampire fiends was working for Maximus." Integra did not seem surprised, nor should she be, even with the population of home-grown vampires doubling and tripling every one of them seemed to have a connection to one another somehow. "Not only that, but he was working for Maximus and aiding him in capturing women—both pregnant and virginal."

"Pregnant? They've never kidnapped any pregnant women-"

"If you were to look at the files of the girls saved from the cellar in Berkshire I'm sure at least two of them were pregnant. Not only that, but it begs the question why they would want pregnant women of all things? A virgin's blood is far more satisfying,"

"Apparently. So Maximus is leading this operation?"

"Yes, the bastard has certainly become tenacious."

"He's getting cocky though, surely he doesn't need so many women to do whatever it is he wants to do."

"It's not just that, Master, he kidnaps them from the continent as well." Integra bristled, I knew what her reaction would entail: _What?! The bastard isn't even on our soil anymore? WE let him slip through our fingers and now he's off gallivanting all over Europe kidnapping women and— Maxwell is going to have a bloody field day! That pig...I won't have it! _

"Are you certain?"

"Not exactly. I only have his word for it," Integra frowned.

"What about your usual interrogation technique?"

"The creature was mentally dumb. He spoke like a gentleman but held himself and thought like an imbecile, there were no emotions, thoughts, memories...just the memory of talking to us and that revealed nothing." Integra turned from the window and sat down in her chair, balled fists digging into the arm rests.

"That information, though there is little, has pointed us in the right direction, it will only be a matter of days or weeks until we find him and annihilate him and his followers." _What those women must be going through...at the hands of vampires, surely most would be dead by now..._

"And secondly," I paused. I could not keep this information from my master, but Molly had confided in me- well, slipped up and asked that I keep it to myself. "during Molly's little...scuffles, she revealed how very inhuman she is." Integra looked at me quizzically, "she lost her temper, mutilated the freaks, impaled one and drained him of his blood, as a vampire would."

"She didn't fight it after all." Integra's face turned stony, her eyes showed disappointment: she had believed, as the doctors had, that Molly had fought off the vampire disease—such a shame that it would be labelled as thus—and that her blood could be used in the development of anti-venoms for the vampire bite. "Maybe so, but the fangs appeared from nowhere, they receded back into her gums as she sat in the car. Her heartbeat was normal, if slightly more active, this evening, she has not died and yet her body is able to keep her in a state of limbo between humanity and vampirism." I grinned, "Quite intriguing, wouldn't you agree?"

"Very. How? Her blood type is human save the slight changes in leukocytes and mitochondria. She's O negative, a blood type that is incredibly useful, but if she is cast between both life and death perhaps using her blood to make a cure to a vampire's bite would be unwise,"

"She confided in me that she has fed off other freaks before, in the height of battle as she fought bleeding she drained those that tried to drain her,"

"So she's always been like this? How interesting, how useful...would she allow Izzy or Peter to do an MRI scan or take X-rays of her?" I scoffed in an answer.

"She would never consent to that, her body is a secret,"

"Judging by the manner in which she works I would suggest that it is a secret even to herself."

**Captain Pip Bernadette**

**A few days later**

Nibbling my thumbnail was an 'abit I 'ad abandoned when I was a boy, I'd be nibbling and gnawing at eet as I walked up to zee girl I was most infatuated with before asking zem to join me for dinner. Being nervous about zis was quite stupid as I was one of zee more popular boys of my year and most girls sat to zee left and right of me to observe my profile more closely. "Why were you so nervous?" I 'ear you ask, zee truth was I did not know why. Since I had kissed Molly—something that, after she left, felt like a sin, like I had defiled Zee Virgin Mary herself—I had permanently been nervous of getting in 'er way and vexing 'er further. She had not spoken a word to me save to ask zat I move (Nicely, politeness being a forte and habit of 'er's) or zat we needed to get to work after another little attack from our freakish demons. And 'er lack of conversation was becoming quite scary.

Though she was not zee type of girl to talk a lot, she would usually say _something _to me, and I wish she _would _say something,_ anything. _But eet seemed our friendship 'ad come to a stand-still, I was on no-man's land, bleeding to death, zee attacker who 'ad cut out my 'eart walking away leaving me to bleed; my ship 'ad been hijacked and I 'ad been set out to sea on a dingy in shark-infested waters; I was an hors d'oeuvre and I was being eaten alive by zee rejection and silence.

I walked past zee den and paused, zee door was ajar and blue, green and yellow light flashed across zee floor and zee wood of zee door. No-one I knew went into zis room much, zee living room beside zee kitchen was a frequent haunt of my friends, and zere was zee drawing room down zee hall and a little boudoir for times when you just wanted to sit in quiet and not be disturbed. But, because of zee abundance of communal rooms, zee Den was forgotten and zis sudden usage of it caught my interest. The television was on a low volume, but as I came closer to zee door zee volume was turned up until I could hear zee News report.

_"In the years of this company's development, we have accomplished many great things: discovered cures for viruses and illnesses and proceeded in becoming the world's leading researchers in genetic modification and the miracle that is stem-cell technology. And, recently we stumbled upon a strand of DNA within the blood group O negative, we found it abnormal and life-threatening. An example of how threatening this strand of DNA is, is the case of the infant Juliette Fewings and her mother Celia Fewings, where Miss Fewings died during childbirth—she died of exhaustion after almost seventy hours of labour—and the child, Juliette, was unfortunately inflicted with this abnormality. Miss Fewings was O negative and we also believe the father to have been of the O blood type and the result was the illness of Juliette. She was born blind, deaf, dumb, and missing parts of her body, in this case she was without a liver, a kidney, her upper intestines and spleen. We, as the leading genetic scientists this side of the globe-" _I pushed open zee door quietly and stepped inside to see Molly perched on zee edge of 'er armchair glaring at zee television. A man stood in front of the Molmally GMAA building—a leading genetic research lab—his hair was platinum blond and he looked very handsome, he was around forty and wore expensive suits.

I watched as Molly shrank as he carried on, the camera now zooming in on his face and his eyes seemed to glare through the television. "_We're called in to look at the child, we took a blood sample from her and the remains of her mother before the child finally passed away also. We have discovered that a mutation has occurred in this blood group and, though O negative is quite a rare blood type, we urge that everyone of this blood group go to a doctor and get tested for this mutation. Women seem to be affected by it more so than men, the strain is passed on to children when the genes of both O blood types mix, though, this research is not conclusive. During the pregnancy, symptoms can appear to show that the child will be disabled with idiosyncrasy type S3 and idiosyncrasy type OD, the mother will feel permanently hungry, they will suffer from tachycardia and respiratory difficulties. Women who usually snore and seem to stop altogether at night could also be passing idiosyncrasy to the unborn child. They will be hostile, temperamental, paranoid, will get headaches and migraines, pain sensors in the brain will slowly close down until three weeks before the birth, in which they will become irreversibly heightened. A touch could sting and a graze could feel like a fractured bone—thus they will seem to be affected by hypochondria. Visible signs will include pallor, roving eyes, dilation and contraction of pupils even when not in the dark or light, over-grown nails, a discolouration of skin on cheeks or skin exposed to light. If they do not die in childbirth, we are quite certain that they will suffer from a vitamin deficiency, acute possessiveness of the child, and alterations in the volume of their voice when it is not needed. Slowly they will fall in psychosis, then memory loss and finally drown from the inside after a need to drink water. _

_"We ask of you now ladies:" _The blond man looked deep into zee camera, _"Come to us, the doctors will help you._"

"Molly?" I asked uncertainly, her body had become rigid, her eyes wide and her jaw set. Perhaps it was just zee light zat made 'er look so tense, but I swear she was shaking. "Molly?" I asked again, perching on zee armrest and touching 'er shoulder; I was correct, she had been shaking.

"Something isn't right, Captain, I don't feel well..." She whispered hoarsely, eyes never leaving the screen as a new report flitted across the screen about foot and mouth outbreaks throughout Yorkshire.

"Perhaps you should see a doctor—" Immediately I knew I 'ad said zee wrong thing, she jerked from me, turned and hissed, her teeth seemed like points as she snarled as a wild beast would after being stung or hit with a tranquilliser dart. "I will not! I shall not!" She slammed her hand down on zee remote between us and, zee only source of light being doused out, we were pulled into darkness. She was still, and I could just make out zee silhouette of 'er profile from zee light cast by a light outside zee window.

It seemed strange zat a news report would affect 'er so, but I kept zese questions to myself and went along with her need for silence, just 'appy to be able to sit next to 'er without 'er walking off. "How have you been, Captain?" Molly asked stiffly.

"Fine." A little confused about your aversion to me but nonezeeless... I thought to myself.

"I realise I haven't been all together kind to you recently, Captain." She whispered in a hushed tones. Non, I thought sarcastically, you have been very kind! "And I need not apologise," I frowned at zis, "for your need to get involved in some kind of a relationship inside the workplace—no matter how non-standard—is quite absurd." She turned to me and I could no longer make out whether 'er jaw was set, could no longer admire the straight—though very pointed and slightly too long—nose.

"I do not 'ave 'a need' for a relationship, Miss Molly." I answered exasperatedly, "It was a one-time thing, it will never 'appen again, I can assure you." Zere was a silence, Zere, I thought, zat shall shut 'er up and now perhaps we could be friends again and I can just amuse myself with watching 'er.

Through the darkness zere was a chuckle and for a sickening moment I thought it might 'ave been zat vampire, Alucard, come to annoy me, only it was Molly, though I 'ad never 'eard zat kind of a chuckle before. Usually it would sound quite sad, but now...it sounded almost 'appy, though slightly scary, I'll admit. "_Do you have an infatuation with me, Captain? If so, your afflictions are sorely misplaced." _Zee sudden French surprised me slightly, but her accent soothed me.

_"Perhaps I do, Miss Molly, but, as I have already said, I shall try to keep them to myself,"_

_"Good. You do understand that I have no interest in men whatsoever?" _

_"None at all? Do you perhaps prefer women?" _ Zere was a silence and for a split second I 'ad images of Molly and Seras kissing in a dark hallway, zen my blissful daydreaming was cut short by a loud and raucous laugh, "_Me? A lesbian?" _Silence again. "_Though, Seras does look very hot in her uniform, that skirt leaves nothing to the imagination...Mmmm, perhaps...I do find the female body so much more attractive to the male, but then again who doesn't?" _

_"Pardon?" _I asked, hurt by 'er comment about zee male physique, "_Men are perfectly attractive!"_

_"If you think they're attractive, why don't _you _date one?" _At my silent fuming she chuckled.

"What do you know about this Molmally?" Molly asked after a silence in which she turned on zee lights, launching me into sudden light, my eyes not quite used to the brilliance I almost fell of zee chair.

"A bit. Zey work as an advisory board for any scientific laboratories about genetic experiments, zey approve and disapprove zem. Zey started off manufacturing medicine and now branch out into private research labs, medicine manufacturing units, and, in 1989, started genetic research by pairing with a European lab. Since zen zey have grown and now even own various mental health units across the country. MI5, Hellsing, zee met—all of zem rely on branches of Molmally for information on blood tests, forensics and zee like. Recently zey have appointed a new chairman and head of Zee Bureau of Information—he was zee man on zee news report, his name escapes me though."

"You know quite a lot about them." Molly remarked as she sat back down and turned to face me.

"Everyone know about zem, zey are incredibly important to Hellsing and all other Police or Law Enforcement units, mostly every company in zee UK buys something or are paired with zem somehow."

"They must be quite wealthy then."

"Mmm, last survey counted zat zee gross profit a year was twenty-six billion pounds, but apparently up to twenty million pounds was donated to charities across the globe last year when zee new guy came to power, zat was his way of getting zee company in zee papers- giving practically all his earnings zat year to charities," I sat back and thought for a moment, "He sounds like a really nice guy."

"He does." Molly agreed, "But he had untrustworthy eyes. You can tell a lot about a person about their eyes," Molly stood up again and walked over to a bookshelf, quietly perusing zee contents.

"You can? Zen what do my eyes say about me?"

"Eye, Captain, eye," Molly corrected, smiling a crocked smile to herself as she returned to zee space before me and looked into my eye. "Hazel eyes, you have trustworthy eyes. When you are angry or annoyed your eye commands respect, you smile with your eyes only when you are very happy but I can see from these," She ran her finger along zee slight lines at zee corner of my eye, "that you smile a lot. Your eyes are warm, you take pleasure in affection and love, though this need to share love is eclipsed by memories of battle, pain and loss so you try, vainly, to keep a distance and prefer one-night stands." She looked at my eye patch curiously, "May I ask how much of your eye is left if any?"

"Nothing." I sighed, "I am but a Cyclops," Molly shook her head.

"May I?" I thought about it for a moment and zen nodded. Cautiously, she removed my eye-patch and her nose wrinkled with a smile. She ran 'er finger over my cheekbone and under my eye gently. "Barnibus lost his eye once; naturally, it grew back..."

"I was not born with such a skill, zis is all I am left with." Molly replaced my eye-patch.

"Scars on a man are attractive, Captain, no woman would let such a silly thing like a white line or missing eye get in the way of a relationship." Her smile faded and she sighed looking to the floor.

"Are you worried zat men are not zee same, Blue?" She looked up, puzzled and zen angry.

"I think my thoughts on marriage and the like are well known by now. Men are scum, and they remain scum until they prove themselves otherwise."

"You need to trust more people, Molly, without trust you will not be happy." Molly frowned again, fore'ead creased with frustration, she sat down in the chair and looked up at me.

"Do you trust people?"

"Most people, I think, until they prove zemselves untrustworthy." Molly and I fell silent and she seemed to be thinking about something.

"Maybe I should trust you all then?"

"We wouldn't hurt you, Molly, this is like a family. Not one of my men would 'arm you, Alucard wouldn't unless you turned insane and tried to kill us all, Seras would never 'urt a fly...Non, you are safe with us. Why would we 'arm family?"

"Family?" She asked, sill confused, but 'er eyes glistened with hope.

"Zar is what we are, I guess, and you 'ave joined us, so you must fit in somewhere. Molly, I would gladly step in front of s bullet for you." I clapped 'er on zee back and smiled down to her and I saw her face light up with happiness, zee creamy-blue of her eyes shining light a blue moon.

"I wouldn't want you to, though." Now it was my turn to be confused.

"Why not? It is a noble gesture."

"A noble gesture that is badly placed. You must promise me you will never step in front of a bullet for me, or an onslaught, or anything. I don't want a friend's death on my conscious."

"A friend?" My heart skipped a beat; Molly had called me a friend. I knew she preferred to keep detached and aloof, to call me a friend was an honour. "Rest assured, Molly, I will not sacrifice myself for you, you're too annoying." I grinned at her, her answer being zat sad half-smile. "So, will you trust us?"

"Bien sur, I shall, or at least try. It is my nature to be untrusting, it will take time, but, with your help, my friend, I think I shall rid myself of this lonesome burden." Zat is what I wanted to hear! "I should begin by becoming friends with the doctors, right?"

"Zat would be zee best place to begin, yes," Molly, stood up and stood in front of me again.

"Thank you, again, my friend." Her eyes were still shining and she jumped forwards. My heart skipped a beat as I thought she wanted to kill me, but instead, zee little deadly creature wrapped her arms around my middle and buried her face in my chest. "Thanks,"

"Zat's...alright." I cautiously rested my hand on her head and let out a sigh of relief. "So, we are speaking again?"

"No, of course not." Molly answered sarcastically. "Pip?"

"Mmm?" I answered, eyes closed, smiling to myself as my heart swelled from the close proximity earned from good advice.

"I think you might need to go to the guard's quarters," I frowned and pulled away, her eyes were big and mournful.

"Why?"

"Someone's dead."

**A/N: That was one of the shortest chapters I have ever written, I'm in my own little world so that's probably why, sorry. The next update will be much better, I swear! Though, this chapter is by far one of the most important so far, though the shortest. **


	15. Talk of The Tormentors

**I was looking up demonology and I found the 72 mighty kings and princes of which Solomon commanded into the vessel. And found their seals, the pentagram/seal on Alucard's gloves look VERY (almost exactly the same) similar as the seal of astorath: "The Twenty.-ninth Spirit is Astaroth. He is a Mighty, Strong Duke, and appeareth in the Form of a hurtful Angel riding on an Infernal Beast like a Dragon, and carrying in his right hand a Viper. Thou must in no wise let him approach too near unto thee, lest he do thee damage by his Noisome Breath. Wherefore the Magician must hold the Magical Ring near his face, and that will defend him. He giveth true answers of things Past, Present, and to Come, and can discover all Secrets. He will declare wittingly how the Spirits fell, if desired, and the reason of his own fall. He can make men wonderfully knowing in all Liberal Sciences. He ruleth 40 Legions of Spirits." look for the seal if you're interested, because they really do look amazingly similar...**

**Alucard**

It had been a week or so since the funeral of Graham Robinson, the Geese were quiet, rarely rowdy and jovial now their comrade had left them. Every little mission we had: the kidnapping in Devon, the serial killers in Bath, all went smoothly enough, but the soldiers hefted guns and arms with less spirit than they had before. Molly and I were unperturbed by the loss; unfortunately, Seras had gotten quite close to Graham and we could both see that she was struggling—just as she had with the former Captain's death.

Seras sprinted down the road towards us as Molly and I fought with a small group of freaks, the action so welcome to me after days of idleness. Molly brought out the familiar sword and beheaded one man while he advanced on her with a blade of his own; a woman jumped on her from behind, this did not go down well. Molly flipped her over, baring large snake-like fangs before ripping out her larynx and jugular simultaneously. I shot the mass of blood stains in the head before Molly could sink her teeth in, "No food-breaks." I snarled, shooting several other freaks that were stupid enough to try and fight us. Molly returned to my side, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. Our eyes turned to the figures standing behind Seras.

"Seras?" Molly shouted, frowning. Seras had stopped in the middle of the street, even from that distance I could see that her eyes were glazing and blood tears glistened on her cheeks. "Not again," Molly pulled out her cross-bow and set about loading it with the bolts, slipping a dozen down into the barrel, I marveled as I realised she hadn't even taken her eyes off the targets behind the Police Girl. Annoyance and anger flooded me as I watched the still figure, I would need to talk to her about her unprofessional behaviour later on. "Do you want to grab her?" Molly asked as four figures dropped one after the other, Molly's deadly accuracy as silent as death itself, come to collect souls.

"With pleasure," I growled, I appeared beside Police Girl, "Reminiscing?" I asked irately. Seras looked up, eyes glassy with bloody tears. I rolled my eyes, "Put yourself to use, Police Girl, I'm starting to regret ever turning you." Seras blinked, a single blood-tear rolled down her cheek and she nodded, setting her jaw and turning to the fight, the harkonnen glistening as she maneuvered it and fired at three ghouls who stood behind each other, taking all three out with a single shell—much better.

Molly appeared at my elbow, her eyes following Seras' movements as the young vampire's eyes flashed red. "Alucard...?" She asked, glancing at me as Seras' discarded the cannon and set about ripping the monsters to pieces with her bare-hands; grinning gleefully as she crushed their bones and pulled their limbs from them. "Finally, we can channel some of that sadness into something useful." I sighed, returning the Jackal to its usual place inside my duster—I would allow the Police Girl the last of the kill.

The roadside was littered with limbs and smeared with blood, bones jutted out from the undead corpses; Molly pulled a face for the briefest second, not because she was scared by it, more that she was disgusted. Cautiously, she edged towards Seras as she licked blood off her hands, head bowed and panting like a rabid dog. "Seras?" Molly asked, resting her hand on her shoulder. Immediately, Police Girl straightened up and wheeled around to face Molly, her blood-red eyes gleaming with hunger and anger. Molly's stance softened and she pulled Seras into a hug fearlessly, "I know you're upset, Seras." Seras blinked, her brow crumpling in confusion as the red in her eyes receded.

"You're far more entertaining when you're angry, Police Girl." I chuckle, kicking a head out of my way, the skull rolling back to show glazed and lifeless eyes staring up at me. Seras glared at me over Molly's shoulder and reciprocated Molly's hug, burying her face into Molly's hair, I watched, as a guardian, to make sure Seras did not try to feed off an unarmed Molly—though, Molly knew what Seras could do, that Seras didn't drink enough blood to stop her hunger completely and that it was dangerous.

Seras' shoulders tensed and so did Molly's, Seras still sobbed but I sensed that she was very much aware of the close proximity of her canines to Molly' throat. I stepped forwards, all smiles gone as Seras inclined her head for a meal, "It's okay, Seras, I know you're upset, but I'm afraid I won't let you sup from me." Molly pulled away to see Seras' eyes gleaming blood red, her mouth turned up in an evil and hungry grin. Molly pulled her pendant out from her blouse, swinging it in front of Seras' face as a threat, "It'll burn quite a bit, my friend."

"S-sorry, I don't know wha' came ova me," Seras flinched; _I'd 'ate to hurt Molly. _Molly smiled, and wrapped her arm around her shoulders, the two petite women leading each other back to the vehicles down the road, talking to each other quietly. I had noticed that Molly was being much more open and friendly recently; she seemed to make a point of striking up conversations with the young doctors, play chess with me or Seras and compete at the firing range with the soldiers. (Which was usually followed by a lecture on what smoking does to them, something they did not need after the loss of their friend).

It was quite out of character for her; and I saw, as she spoke chattily to anyone near her, that she was _trying_, I felt that she didn't want to be talking, to be creating friendships—that might tie her down—more that she was making herself do it. Why? I didn't know, but I wouldn't irritate her and ask stupid questions. it was her life, after all, and, to an extent, I quite liked our talks.

An example of our conversations was that very evening; after calming Seras down enough to start a relatively upbeat conversation and coerce her into drinking blood, Molly took the chessboard down from the bookshelf and set it up on the coffee table before me. She turned the chessboard around, ironically choosing white for herself and black for me, "Shall we see if we can put that mind of yours to the test?"

"I don't think it needs testing, Blue." Molly scoffed.

"I bet to differ, _Red_, you rely on those weapons of yours far too frequently. Besides, last time you won, I want to show you what I can really do." Molly flashed a half-smile and made the first move, I sighed, there was no pleasing her.

Seras sat beside me curled up against the back of the chair, her back pressed up against the arm-rest. "I'm really sorry about earlier, Blue." She whispered. Molly sighed exasperatedly as I took her rook.

"Seras, to be completely honest, I reckon it would have been better if you _had _bitten me, maybe then I would have died of exsanguination and wouldn't have to listen to this—it's not your fault, you were upset, your hunger was probably accentuated by that." Molly chuckled darkly, "Though how you would find the smell of me appetising I'll never know." She triumphantly plucked my bishop from the board, raising her eyebrows in a way that screamed, 'Ha! come on, try harder!'

"Molly?" Molly glanced up from the board, still puzzling over my last move, "Where were you born?" Molly moved her pawn into my trap, which, in turn, lead her knight to the slaughter.

"I don't know, we moved around quite a bit, though I think I was born in Paris, or near to there."

"You grew up there?"

"I can't remember it, but yes." Molly answered, glaring as I stole another of her pawns. Seras stood up and sat down beside Molly on the floor, resting her elbows on the glass of the coffee table, cradling her chin in her hand as we played on. I smirked; being the only person sitting in a chair, there was a slight sense of superiority.

"Hey, you're quite good." Seras remarked as Molly stole my queen, which was easily won back a few turns later. "Maybe not."

"You never tell me what your mum was called." Seras murmured, absent-mindedly.

Molly looked at Seras, taking in her appearance for a few moments before answering: "Beatrice."

"No surnames?" Molly gave a half-smile and shook her head.

"No, no surnames, it was always that way, ever since I can remember."

"Why? It's not like a surname means anything, it's just a name." Molly shrugged, moving her second knight into another one of my traps unbeknownst to her.

"But to enemies, a name is everything, a name and an appearance can get you anywhere and everywhere." Even though I could not read Molly's mind, her movements on the board were easily read, I wondered if she knew this- if she did, she might have tried to be a little more sneaky. "You were a police officer once, right?"

"Mhmm."

"Weren't you ever scared to use your real name for fear that someone might harm you?" Seras thought for a moment then nodded.

"Well, yes, on numerous occasions, but I'm a police officer."

"And what is a police officer if not a deliverer of justice? And what am I if not a deliverer of punishment? We're the same, police officer and, for lack of a better word, vampire slayer."

"Yes, but you used to just have a hotel, didn't you have a surname before?"

"No,.

"But you weren't a 'deliverer of punishment' then, were you? So...there must have been a surname,"

"We feared to use a real name, men were after us—to test us to our limits, of which I still hold practically _every, single _scar—we feared capture...Even my first name was changed to escape recognition."

"What was your name before?" I asked, moving my king away from Molly's impending attack, a defence already in place. Molly, once again, shrugged.

"I've forgotten." She gave a sad smile, "I wish I could remember, but, at the same time, I wish I didn't...it's a dilemma. If I remember I will know everything that has happened, I will be able to escape enemies that much easier, but also, I will be weighed down with sadness, pain and torment."

"That _is_ a bi' of a problem." Seras nodded, her slightly cockney English accent punctuated by her lack of elocution. We sat in silence for a few more moments as I claimed Molly's final rook and a few more pawns, the white figurines scarce upon the board.

Finally, I won. Molly sat back, a cold look on her face at being defeated, she folded her arms, so her banter had no justification, "The way I took your king, was worthy of a crusade. Next time you insult my intelligence, back it up by winning and justifying your insults." Little Blue pulled a face, rolling her eyes.

"You stole my king like a kidnapper under the cover of darkness; it was nothing like a crusade,"

"And you'd know so much about crusades." I smirked. Molly knealt; hand on her hip, the other hand tilting her top-hat in the way she preferred it to stay.

"I have an interest in it."

"A passing interest."

"I know enough about the crusades and medieval times that should be sufficient should a question posed about the battle tactics of the Templar Knights pop up,"

"And what do you know about the crusades of the East? The attacks upon Constantinople?" Molly frowned and sat on her knees.

"Very little." I feigned shock.

"But that was one of the pivotal moments in Christendom, the fall of Constantinople—and the rumours of the first vampires."

"Vampires existed for hundreds of years before the fall of Constantinople, didn't they?"

"Not as developed as then." I turned my eyes to Seras, whose features had softened with interest. "The vampires of the earlier crusades and before were monstrous creatures by appearance and nature, they could hardly speak, they were animalistic. They were not intelligent enough to fool humans into trusting them, they lived in forests and fed upon weary travelers and other animals, they were simply the descendants of those weaker demons on the outer circle of hell that had somehow managed to break through,"

"So, the vampires of today, when did they appear, Master?" Seras asked, genuinely intrigued.

"1462, around the fall of Constantinople, where a knight—who had impaled, slaughtered and killed for his God so mercilessly—lay dying and was discarded from the gates of Saint Peter. He asked the devil to make him a man again, so he may show the Christians how frivolous their religion was; but he couldn't return him to life, he gave him powers to keep him alive—the Devils own tool on earth, as God had had Jesus..." I chuckled.

"So, did he created all the other vampires?" I shrugged.

"He created some, mostly for companions and servants. Those created were nothing like him, they were not careful about their meals, they were weaker and, unfortunately, slightly dim-witted. They passed on vampirism with each meal, creating more and then the population of vampires doubled, tripled- and now vampires are manufactured," Seras looked up at me as a child would a teacher, I smiled.

"I'd like to meet my biological father," Molly murmured, eyes glazed with a far-away look to her features.

"Pardon?"

"Well, mother never told me his name, I know whose vampire blood runs through my veins, who raised me, but I don't know who was my initial father." She shook her head and returned her gaze to my eyes.

"But, to have left mother, he must have been an evil man." Molly's face returned to that unfathomable look she usually wore; lips down-turned, as always, eyes blank of all emotion.

"But maybe he had to leave?" Suggested Seras, "Maybe he was in the navy and had t' go on leave, and when he came back your mother was gone—for obvious reasons." Molly's lips turned up at the corners, eyes glistening with a new fire.

"Maybe, that's another way of looking at it." We fell into silence and Molly set up the board again, offering another game, after her offer another silence ensued and Seras made light conversation, which made way for a whole new conversation. Molly won the chess game in the end and at some point, I don't know which, the conversation turned to punishment—mainly medieval torture. My knowledge of torture was broad as it was, but perhaps Molly's matched my own. She spoke with confidence of iron-maidens, racks, experimental methods of torture created by the Japanese and Turkish. I commented on her knowledge, to which she replied: "When you're a deliverer of punishment it is best to know your field of work, besides, some of the methods come in useful," she gave a small chuckle, Seras' face drained of colour and Molly, noticing this immediately, added, "I am joking, Seras,"

"Good, 'cause even a freak don't deserve 'alf of that medieval torture."

"Oh, really?" Molly and I chimed at the same time. Seras looked to each of us in turn, cornered and trapped and outnumbered. "Well, some of 'em had no choice, it was either they chose to be made into monsters or they die—no one wants to die. Others were tricked; it ain't really fair to use such brutal punishments,"

"We're kind compared to what happens in hell." Molly pointed out, capturing my knight as we started another game.

"No... Yes... we don't know what happens there, for all we know vampires could end up gettin' it cozy down there, sippin' wine and torturin' people..."

"All the more reason to punish them in the world of the living." I countered, pushing my bishop into the final position of attack; now, either way she moved, she would be trapped.

"There is a reason other people don't use torture anymore, y'know." Seras stood up, glaring down at Molly and at me in turn, "It's because it's barbaric."

"You're quite right," Molly nodded, moving her queen to take my bishop and thwart my ambush, "It's quite barbaric."

"I am?" Seras questioned, _Finally, someone agrees with me._

"But so it ripping innocent families to pieces, spilling their blood, desecrating their remains, raping teenagers, terrorizing society." Molly smirked in triumph as Seras glared at her; Molly gave me a knowing look. She was right, that was a good enough reason to be as barbaric as them—though, I just did it for fun. "If the only way they listen to us if through _agony_ and _torment_, then fine, I'll castrate them, I'll burn them, I'll quarter them, I'll cut out their tongue and eat it myself." Molly paused, "Hell, I'd even sustain them just so the agony was prolonged."

"Punishment and justice today is warped," She continued, "a human serial-killer, murders and rapes twenty women, and he's given life in prison—they're given enough food to survive and stay off hunger, given clean water to drink and wash in, clothes, a bed, a room—they even give them board games and the like to keep them busy! How delusional are humans now that they think even monsters should be treated nicely? Everyone is so concerned about human rights, what about their rights for protection? They let rapists and paedophiles ** (A/N;british for paedophile, I think in america it's pedophile?)** wander the streets and plan their next attack. Punishments should be so much more severe, the corporeal punishment is good—to an extent—as is the death sentence," Seras' mouth had fallen open in amazement.

"How can you say that?"

"If you hit a child when they do something wrong, they know they've done something wrong and the pain stops them from doing it again—you don't have to beat them, a simple slap makes them see the difference between right and wrong—it's the same principal for criminals. Someone caught stealing in England in the 1800s would either be put in prison—which had awful conditions and you'd get beaten regularly for the slightest thing—or you'd get lashings. Now, Seras, if you were given twenty lashings after stealing an apple, would you do it again?" Seras pulled a face.

"No."

"Would you steal a CD player?"

"No."

"In certain parts of the world, if a man was found guilty of rape he was castrated with a blunt knife, so he may never do it again—it worked and still does."

"You've been on the receiving end of corporeal punishment, though, how can you still stand by it?" Seras sat back down at her initial seat, curled up against the back of the chair, watching Molly as she took her hat off and ruffled up her hair.

"Because," she moved her pawns into an attacking maneuver, "it gets the message across, criminals are mostly cowards, they won't do something twice if they have to go through pain and suffering. Yes, I was tortured, but even after that I am still for corporeal punishment and the death sentence." Seras shook her head.

"What did they even do to you?" Seras asked after a few more moments silence and Molly's victory.

"Judging from the scars, I would say mostly everything," Seras' frown deepened.

"Are there many?" Molly sighed in answer, looking down to the floor, her red hair falling in front of her face.

"Yes," she answered, almost at a whisper, "I am my own little tapestry,"

"So...what did they do?" I had once or twice asked myself that also.

"I know from over-coming my own phobias that they drowned me, beat me—as is custom. Gave me lashings with a multiple-tailed whip, branded me, broke my bones, put me in some kind of iron-maiden, or a device like it; cut me, stabbed me..." She licked her lips, now looking at the wall behind us, "Anything, as long as it did not cause immediate death. I once asked myself whether they had raped me, but Barnibus assures me I'm still a virgin." She paused again, "They strangled me as well, you can still see the faint line of the rope burns." Lifting her red hair up, she ran her thumb along the faintest white line beneath the scar of her slit throat. She shrugged off her over-coat and showed off her wrist, white lines running around both, showing that she had been bound. She stood up; turning her back on us; spots of black—small speckles—could be seen on her blouse as he unbuttoned it and dropped it to the crooks of her elbows. Seras gasped.

I had never seen her back in its entirety, perhaps every single centimetre of her back was covered with white and pink lines, some were raised with beads of black blood dripping down from them, weeping tears of black sapphire for the past agony. My eyes fell the side of her waist, showing thick scars of burn-marks; her whole body was a morbid sculpture of pain and torture, evidence of ultimate suffering inscribed into her very flesh and preserved in scar-tissue. "Jesus..." Seras whispered as Molly pulled her blouse back on and buttoned it back up.

"My stomach and legs are almost as bad, but it was my back they took a liking to most."

"Why? Did they want to know something?" Seras asked, her voice hesitant and strained, _Jesus Christ! No wonder she trusts no-one! No wonder she hates men and is so bitter..._

"No. Apparently, they were just testing my endurance." Seras eyes widened, "Now you can see why I hate doctors and tests so much,"

"I _know _I couldn't stand that much pain, I mean...it's not...I…" Seras bit her nail, eyes glazed and wide as she stared at the cushions of the sofa.

"I'm not sure if I did, but I know I could take it now, that's for sure." Molly laughed bitterly, she caught my eyes. "You look as if you are in a trance, Red."

"No, but I don't think I've seen so much scarring on a living person." Molly laughed dryly and stretched, yawning as she rotated her neck, joints clicking.

"Well, it's quite late and, quite obviously; there will be no more calls for me this evening. Good night, Red, Blondie." Seras glanced up, snorting as Molly bowed her head to each of us.

"Go away." Seras threw a pillow at Molly playfully, Molly's mouth betrayed a smile but I noticed it vanish as soon as she started to turn to leave. Seras sat back down on the floor and set up the chessboard. "Come on, I want to play you."

"You're a sore-loser, Seras."

"You say that as if you know I'll lose,"

"You will, you're too easy to read." Seras pouted as I smirked at her, but finished setting up the board anyway and moved one of her pieces into play, I sighed—a game could get repetitive, after all—but I humoured her.

I couldn't help but let my mind wander as I played against Seras, the game was too easy and my mind could easily switch from the game to other thoughts. One such thought was the way Molly looked as she left the room; I knew that she wanted to remember, no matter how painful, and that her lack of memory annoyed her. I wondered if maybe I could help her unlock those memories, but how? Perhaps if her mind was open to me, I could find the memories myself and remind her of them. I gave up wondering about unlocking her memories, no matter how much it had intrigued me, and turned instead to her sudden change of character.

Her initial character was more quiet, more untrusting and everything was on a need-to-know basis, she refused help, refused friendship and mostly kept to herself. But, recently, she would sit with us in the evenings and commence conversation willingly; from the most mundane things to history, politics and—one of our favourite topics—torture, both psychological and corporeal. Her voice usually cold and quiet; could be heard from down a hall, louder, clearer and far more jovial. Though, even with all these changes, I did believe she made herself change. The loss of her friends should have signaled a turn for the worse, perhaps even more secrecy, less conversation, anger and vengeance, but she stood in the kitchen and on the lawns gladly chatting away with a glass of water in one hand and a hand of cards in the other. She would spend hours talking to Pip and his men, had even created an alliance with the two dastardly doctors—both of whom she had things in common. Though on the field she was as stern, cold, hateful and involuntarily cruel as ever, but she had softened somewhat.

Did this all mean she felt safe with us? That she felt we would help her and save her, if need be; that we would look out for her and she would look out for us in turn?

The lights flickered and my train of thought was broken, Seras was looking around like a dazed animal, "Master?" She asked. It was not normal for the Manor to suffer from power-cuts: the fridges, the prison-cells, the armouries, the security-systems and any confidential files locked in electronically locked rooms all relied on the electricity supply too much. Hellsing Manor had its own back-up power supply in the lower cellar, at the slightest fluctuation in power the back-up supply would kick into action. The power-cuts were coming far too frequently for Integra's liking, she complained about it often: "It's coming up to an average of three a month! That's almost one a week!" is what she would say. Most of the time the power-cuts came in the daytime and I had not been around to notice them, this being the first one I was awake to see; I had to say it concerned me a little.

The electricity supply stabilized, the fire on the hearth crackled pleasantly and Seras let out a small sigh of relief and returned to the game.

And darkness descended upon Hellsing Manor.

**A/N: Is that a good place to stop? I reckon it is...it gives it suspense and a kind of "uh-oh" factor. Thank you again to all my reviewers! Lil-blood-sucker, Alucard'sPetBunny, Fleeting Glance, Nightfeathers, R.abbott- you all rock! and I hope you enjoyed this update. I was writing more but I decided to stop there, to make it more suspensey! :D OW! My laptop is burning my legs!! If you had a dell 1998 you'd understand my suffering- but this is the only computer we have. I'm poor! and I need a new lappie! but they're reaaaaally expensive!! aaw well, next year I can save up for...around five months I reckon and get a new laptop :P a proper one with special things on it. :P then my legs with be free from burn! :P Enough about me...**

**I'm really considering starting a crossover fic (a Onesy, obviously) "Alien vs Alucard" and maybe trying out my "haunted" idea...I've written a plotline for it and everything..I just need time to type away:P I've got lots of things to do, but it's just the time...¬¬ OH! the black of my hair will be gone by saturday and I shall be a normal almost black instead :P teehehe...my hairdresser took one look at my hair and quite literally screamed, though it was a rather lame scream...definitely not worthy of a horror flick, more worthy for a spoof horror :P:P like a kind of "oh my aaaARRRGHaaargh" it petered on and off. petered, random word that...it's partially a name which means stone...random! the english language is truly strange! XD I shall now schtoom! REVIEW! (ahem) pleaseeeeee. **


	16. From The Hand Of Garbiel Comes Salvation

**Alucard**

**Chapter 16**

"Master?" Seras asked again, her voice edgy and uncertain; she stood up and looked about her quickly, almost fearfully. The only light came from the dying fire and the moonlight filtering through the thick red drapes. I stood up slowly and listened for any unexpected noise or any calls of panic, but the Manor was deadly silent, as if every man within its walls was straining his ears like me. A breeze drifted through the chimney and the last of the fire was extinguished. Seras whimpered. "I don't have my Harkonnen."

"You won't need it." Molly's voice came from the door, she popped her head around the doorway, "I was on my way down to my room and everything went dark, I thought I might as well make sure Seras wasn't losing her head over nothing." Seras' pout was visible even in the shadows. "It's fine, we're not in immediate danger—unless one of us walks into a door or somehow breaks their neck from falling over the coffee table,"

"What's caused it?" Seras asked, I moved over to the window and peered through the drapes into the garden and beyond towards the gates, I could clearly see the outline of three guards at the gates, standing around and watching for any malcontents.

"Izzy was testing out some of the new equipment and the fuses blew."

"That couldn't have been so powerful that it blew the circuits to the back-up power supply as well." I turned to Molly who simply shrugged.

"I can't hear anything and everyone seems very calm—except you, Seras—." Seras scoffed in response, "I do not believe we are in danger." I was still uneasy, nothing about this felt ordinary, there was some greater meaning to this and I would find Integra immediately and voice these opinions.

**Molly**

My colleague, the infamous vampire, disappeared through one of the walls without a backwards glance, leaving Seras and I to contend with the darkness. With darkness came the dread and fear; after all, wasn't hope always depicted as light, and then surely the darkness must be hope's counter-part, despair. Seras was relatively new to this life, to suspicion and analysis of dangers; she seemed to me, one of those girls who had been almost completely care-free as a teenager, probably one of those rebels who skipped a couple of classes here and there and partook in smoking the odd cigarette or pot.

"Ah, well, this ain't so bad, candle-light is quite nice." Seras busied herself with re-lighting the fire and lighting candles upon two candelabras on either side of the window that had only ever been placed there for decoration. Only truly useless things can be beautiful, and I could see as Seras lit the candles how the beauty was marred and the candles and candelabras were put to use. (Though some people may argue that the waterfalls of wax dripping down the side was beautiful as well, but I would simply counter with: "And what use do wax-waterfalls come to in society?") Seras stood in quiet repose for a moment, watching as the flames flickered, her body angled in such a way that I could still see her face and her eyes as they animated the orange and red glow.

"Seras. You're a vampire, do you really need candlelight to see?" I asked her.

She ignored me and caviled with her own question: "I thought you wanted to go to bed?" Her head inclining in my direction for an answer, her beautiful eyes glistened and gleamed with the romantic light of the candles and fire, ghostly shadows flitting upon her features for moments at a time, but somehow only made her look more appealing to the eye.

"Suddenly I don't feel so tired," I answered as truthfully as I could. In actual fact, the power-cut had aroused my suspicions, as, even Red had pointed out, a few tests on medical equipment could not have brought about a power-cut such as this. I refused to sleep while enemies of any sort could be on the prowl, baying for my blood or anyone else's.

"That's alright then, y' can come and sit with me," Seras smiled and bounced over to the sofa and curled into a ball, I chuckled under my breath and moved to sit with her. Seras curled up against the arm-rest and watched me closely, as if looking for any signs of fear or suspicion. "What's your favourite colour, Molly?" She asked suddenly, really I should have known that would be her question, as it was something she always resorted to when conversation was thin.

I'd concluded years ago that the English language was waning from its superiority and entering a dark period, wherein informality was all that was left; and, of course, the inevitable repetitiveness of unneeded questions just to fill a silence—no-one seemed to remember the bliss of a comfortable silence. "Blue, I should think that my answer would be obvious." Seras shrugged and rested her head against the back of the chair.

"Just thought I'd start some kinda conversation." Seras shrugged, "Are you hungry?" She asked as I closed my eyes and exhaled calmly, my eyes opened again and I turned my head apathetically towards her.

"Peckish," I answered, Seras stood up and took my hand, leading my out through the den and up the hall towards the kitchen. "Thought so, you had that lazy kinda hungry look about ya. I think Walter left a couple more steaks in the fridge for you,"

"No, I think I'd prefer to nibble on something fruity." We entered the kitchen, candles flickered upon each and every surface—the kitchen being quite an expanse of space, more candles were needed to scare away the shadows of darkness and to illuminate the kitchen in its entirety. Pip sat at the breakfast bar in the centre of the room, slowly eating another bowl of ice-cream, he seemed to harbour quite a liking for all things with a chocolaty twist.

"Evenin', Pippa." Seras teased, sitting down opposite him. Pip glanced up and then returned to his ice-cream. "You alrigh'? You seem a little...quiet," Pip shrugged.

"Just not feeling all zat grand zis evening," The green glass fruit bowl sat next to his elbow, a candle to the other side of it illuminating it and throwing green light across the counter, as the candle light flickered the greens shifted, warped into almost-shapes and danced about like mythological faeries and pixies. I picked out a selection of fruits, a pear, an apple and a kiwi, sat down next to the downcast Captain and began devouring the apple and pear. "How about zis power-cut, eh?" Pip asked after finishing off the last scoop of ice-cream, he inclined his head towards me, his hair pulled back in its usual braid, but the front messy, jagged pieces of hair hanging before his eyes.

"It is a little suspect, but I'm sure it's fine," I bit into my pear.

"eet's not like ze Manor to 'ave power-cuts, not even ze medical equipment could sink zis place into darkness."

"Maybe we're about to be attacked by some evil cult." Seras joked. I did not think it right that she should say that, we could in fact be under some quiet attack, wasn't the attack of a hawk silent and deadly? Wasn't the sudden capture and death of the field mouse quick but not completely painless? Pip shook his head, "Nah, we would know by now, ze alarm would 'ave been sounded."

"Or, our friend, the vampire in red would have been heard guns blazing." I chuckled. I turned to one of the drawers behind me and pulled out a small knife and peeled and sliced the kiwi, sitting back down I popped the slices into my mouth thoughtfully. I felt my body accept the food, felt my stomach latch onto the morsels and turn them to dust, a shiver ran through me, as I always got when I was eating something that wasn't drenched in blood. The shiver signaled whether my body would fully accept the nourishment or reject it, I didn't know exactly how my twisted body worked, nor did I know anything about the twisted blood that rippled throughout me, the pulsated through my cold veins, but I had a feeling that it was completely unlike humans. Interest and fascination bloomed in my mind and I wondered to myself whether I could trust my doctor friends.

I had stumbled out of my blissful Eden of suspicion and mistrust and into the great wide world, where this newfound trust could turn sour; the air was thick with possibilities, possibilities of friendship and all those good things, or possibilities of betrayal and despair. I was now Lilith, I had turned away from the safety of my paradise on a belief that there was something better, and as Lilith had stumbled, so did I. I had entered the Savage Garden, as it were; I had entered a plane between two places—Hell and Heaven—where all things negative and positive had collided to create uncertainty and chaos. I knew nothing here, I knew no-one here; all about were the faces of the living, of those that I had grown to be friends with, and yet I felt I did not know them, all I knew was what they showed me- for all I knew it could have been a lie, a trick and tease...

All of this friendship, this openness, this care was all new to me! Mother had never taught me companionship, she had been my mother, a friend to me only because we were blood-related and tied by our minds and souls. I was her daughter, I trusted her with my life and soul. Barnibus was family, he had always been there, it had taken me twenty years to trust him completely, but when I did I couldn't go back; I had slept with him for a year— such an intimate thing in the world of the vampires—where our proximity was so close that we could hear every thought, every notion.

Pondering deeper, I concluded that I trusted Seras, Alucard, Pip and quite possibly Izcarius, or at least I liked them...the conclusion baffled me: me? Trusting someone? No—four someones! It was an epiphany that I would have thought to have been impossible—I do not trust, I do not befriend—but, surely I must if I even wondered about letting Izcarius do _tests _on me. And I was intrigued...

"Molly?" I blinked; Pip was looking at me curiously, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, my friend." I smiled, oh it felt so good...to say it and mean it, to actually—once and for all—feel bathed in happiness from the glow and warmth of companionship. I was a new Molly! "We've been asking y' for ages...y' just seemed all zoned out and stuff," Seras was looking at me curiously as well.

"Sorry, I..." a smile turned my mouth, I felt happiness swell and I needed to just...run and dance! "I just had an epiphany." I felt tears prickle my eyes—no, not tears! Tears: the international symbol of sadness, no I needed to...I could tell them how amazing I felt, how happy, how...I felt the tear roll down my cheek.

"Molly?" Pip started in his chair, his face concerned, and the tears just kept coming, tumescent droplets dripping down my chin. Even the ache of my opening and closing wounds seemed to diminish, the happiness seemed to heal them and make my soul soar.

"Molly, it doesn't seem like you to cry." Came an unexpected voice, I laughed, my breath trembling slightly.

"I'm not crying." I laughed, I turned to the figure in the doorway, Alucard's red eyes gleaming like gems in the grasp of darkness, they glimmered with curiosity as my smile broadened until my mouth ached—smiling was something I wasn't used to, well, not smiling like this. "Then why are tears dripping down your face?" He asked, stepping into the candle-light, I laughed looking to each of the trio in the room with me; all were looking at me as if I were mad—if only they knew how sane I truly was.

"It's a beautiful evening." I answered, plucking an apple from the fruit bowl and skipping to the terrace doors, the crisp night air embracing my senses, the marvelous scent of lavender, carnations and lilies filled my nostrils, the wondrous smells furling around me, gripping at my clothes and hair as I span and danced down the steps and into the garden.

The stars had never seemed so bright, the moon smiled genuinely for the first time in so long, the wind was sweet and gentle, the dew upon the grass twinkled like stars themselves and flowers seemed to bloom at my very fingertips and went from each bud to the next taking in the scent and texture. Such euphoria, such happiness—why hadn't I felt it before? I've been dead for so long and now my heart beats and my mind works and Lucifer has returned me to life! He has let me free from hell! I am free! I am happy...for now, debt must be repaid, after all- but I mustn't think of such things now!

This plane between heaven and hell, it was uncertain, yes, but you have to look at it differently. I inclined my head to the right and saw it was not a barren wasteland with frowning, soulless beings dragging their feet this way and that, but was a whole other paradise. The sun was not blacked out by turgid sulphuric clouds of destruction, was not eclipsed by swarms of gnats and wasps and mosquitoes, but shone down from the cradling arms of a pastel blue sky, the odd cloud the suns cushions for rest. The air was not thick from the dust of the ground displaced by struggling travelers, the air was sweet and the sound of birds chirruping and calling to each other was the equivalent of Heaven's angel choirs. Flowers, of the bright colours of a parrot's tail, bloomed in abundance around us, the emerald-green ivies growing up over the dwellings of birds and squirrels, the great green canopies blocking out the sun in places so, as I stood beneath the tall redwoods and oaks, beams of sunlight dotted over the floor small insects visible in the radiant gold sprouts.

I was finally alive; something, Gabriel, perhaps, had lifted my lifeless corpse from a tomb and raised it up and up into the light of the living, life's hands caressing my bones as skin bloomed and muscles stretched. The melody played, my heart-beat, and my body wished to dance with it, had my head turned to the saviour, that angel, and had my tongue asked if he would dance with me? Had we danced for hours on end in the sunlight and moonlight? Had we conversed? Had we played games and teased each other in this garden...this new variant to "Paradise". "Paradise" was far off, it was inconceivable to me, to get there one had first to go through ultimate suffering; no, "Paradise" could not be thus—_this _was paradise. I needn't go through ultimate torment to get here, to open the gate to this garden of beauty and love, only ignorance was what I had to surpass to gain the reward of a life-time. Gabriel, my friend and saviour, I owe you everything.

**A/N: What do you think? It is hard to write Molly, honestly, this alone has taken me...two and a bit hours :S though, amazingly, it wasn't so much the final paragraphs that got me lol. I'm listening to the fray- how to save a life, it's so beautiful. Molly has opened her eyes, she has changed, she is finally happy- I had to give her happiness, to deny her that would be far too cruel. **

**I'm pissed ¬¬ I've lost Jane Eyre and I was almost finished! So I've started on "the picture of Dorian Gray" duuuuuuude! it rocks! I read practically half of it yesterday :P read it! Next I'm reading Wuthering heights and then re-reading Dracula. Then, hopefully, by then I will have Hellsing volume 4 through to 8 (I can't wait for nine though!!) to read and adore. I did a portrait of Alucard yesterday...I was rather happy and pleased with it- it's my first ever portrait and it turned out pretty good...next I'm popping it on the computater- if it can take that- and I'll add in the colour :P Like I do with most other drawings...hmmmm... I got a new and very ostentatious bra yesterday it rather burlesque-esque :P yellows and black in silk and lace, it is my new favourite. :D XD May I ask if we're still happy with Molly's character? If not leave a review...if yes, leave a review! :P:P either way: review!**

**-Poison (in french I'm called fish :P so for the benefit of a frenchy) -"Poisson"**

B/N: I JUST STARTED THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY! WOWZAS! XD

Sorry, I just felt the need to contribute, you know…I'm just strange like that.

Much love, Cannot Fathom a Penname

Or Marie. Much shorter.

**A/N2: I love your contribution!! You should contribute more :P **

**Readers: we have anew reader amongst us! Gdchika! I'm sorry, I told you I;d update the night I sent my PM, but I never did :( But to make up for it I added in 16 (this one) which I usually keep one on the back burner to give you a treat every now and then, :P:P:P **


	17. Trusting an Abomination

**Alucard:**

**Chapter 17**

Walter stood stooped over Integra's desk, helping her light numerous candles, Integra thrust the lighter down at her side and groaned exasperatedly before lighting another candle, "This is just...Why isn't the back--up power working?"

"I have no idea, Sir, but there doesn't seem to be any danger, just a simple power--cut."

"This is an annoyance I could do without at the moment. Izcarius installed new medical equipment this evening, could you ask him to come up here for a little chat." Walter inclined his head.

"As you wish, Sir." He turned and made for the door, "Good evening, Alucard." He disappeared through the door to fetch the unfortunate doctor. Integra rustled through papers, mumbling to herself, "Imbecile, all our security systems are down just because he can't change a light-bulb or medical equipment!"

"I agree, a stupid mistake that could cost us." I sat down uninvited and watched as Integra glanced up, a disgruntled snarl escaping her lips as she found the sheet of paper and scanned whatever it was that was written upon it. "Blood testing kits, a new X-ray machine and new software for the MRI scanner, Izzy must really be an idiot to have screwed that up."

As if conjured, there was a hesitant knock at the door and young doctor popped his head around the door, "I'm sorry about the power-cut, Midori and Peter are downstairs trying to fix the problem,"

"And what can a nurse and doctor do? I'll have to call in electricians, and you know how much I hate calling in outside help." Integra cut the end of her cigar and lit it, blowing smoke into the air. I observed Izzy, he looked worn-down and nervous, the usually neurotic doctor started to wring his wrists and smiled sheepishly.

"Yes, Sir, I know, and allow me to take full blame."

"I see no reason why I shouldn't," Integra took another drag on her cigar and exhaled the smoke to calm herself down, "may I ask what happened with the last machines I was kind enough to put on our budget?"

"The power-cut caused malfunctions in some of the computers used for blood tests—"

"More like they caused the power-cuts!" Integra re-read the document in her hand again, "I don't suppose you asked Merris why our equipment keeps malfunctioning?" Izcarius regained composure, sighing relief as he dropped down into the chair next to me.

"Yes, sir, I did. Apparently there was a problem in the development of the last batch, they were kind enough to have a look at the machines and told me that the software had been confused with that of another client and needed more input. When I put the machines on a different circuit, the older software within it blew, causing complete malfunctions and the power-cut."

"Remind me again why we put up with that?" Integra massaged her temples.

"Because they're under a confidentiality agreement and no other medical unit has such a good knowledge of the supernatural." I interjected, Integra eyed me for a moment, _Yes, but they're hardly being professional at the moment. _

"I'll have a talk with the engineers at Merris;" Integra snarled after a few more moments, "obviously they need to be reminded the type of funding they get from us every year." _As money is the only thing they understand, it would be a shame if all that funding just disappeared; _Integra smirked slightly and then carried on smoking her cigar. "You're excused, for now, Fauster." The doctor nodded meekly and stood up, he opened his mouth to argue that he wasn't completely at fault, but thought better of it and scurried away from my Master.

I waited until the door was closed to turn to the woman before me. I'd seen her grow up, seen her as she matured from the scared girl to this commanding person; she showed no fear, no uncertainty but she felt both on occasion, and this business with Maximus was making those unwanted feelings bloom more and more frequently. I'd noticed that she was drinking a lot more chamomile or jasmine tea, both seemed to calm her when she felt agitated; and as if conjured Walter appeared in the doorway, tray poised on his fingertips. "Integra, I thought you might want some tea."

"Thank you, Walter," Walter set the tray down before her and paused, shook his head, _No, it's probably just a coincidence, _and exited the office. Integra exhaled, leaning back in her chair, "Though it may sound foolish, I wish that freak would bloody attack already, at least then we can crush him that much quicker—at the moment we're just sitting around."

"Now you know what my opinion on this is." I grinned as Integra raised a knowing eyebrow.

"I do."

I paused before starting a new subject, "Was it wise to have employed Izcarius?"

Integra frowned, sighing exasperatedly as she set the cup down upon the saucer and took another drag on her cigar, eyes closing briefly , and then exhaled the smoke, the grey vapour furling and unfurling around her until it dispersed. "You're becoming repetitive in your old age, Alucard. Yes, it was wise; he's an excellent doctor, one of the best! At his university he got the highest grades in history! He comes from a long line of doctors; he already knew half of the curriculum before he went to study medicine. He's saved hundreds of lives, he's dabbled in neurology, cardiology, he's worked as a paramedic, surgeon...he is the best and knows the most about medicine."

"You're not worried about his past?" I asked, Integra glared at me.

"It wasn't even _his _past, Alucard,"

"Like great-great-great-grandfather like great-great-great-grandson," I chuckled. Integra seemed to seethe angrily.

"He's _the _best, Alucard, not everything is about your name, your family's past--"

"But it does count for a hell of a lot," I countered calmly.

"Fine, Alucard, if he does go off the rails like Faust, would it make you happy to kill him?" I nodded approvingly.

"Well, I wouldn't turn it down," I grinned, the meek doctor could get very annoying at times, his neurotic ways, his insistence on always being right, wanting to know the ins and outs of anything new that came along: me and Molly being his fascinations at that time. He would sit in the living room with Molly and I; knowing that Molly had a habit of falling asleep in front of a fire after a long night of boredom, and as she fell into slumber would surreptitiously move closer to her and withdraw a syringe for a quick blood sample. Of course his attempts were always thwarted; either by me, Seras or Bernadette, and his own "secret" desires of finding my sleeping chambers and taking a blood sample from me were well known to me. Molly didn't know that his and hers friendship played a part in him getting what he wanted, even as they became friends, the doctor still had the same intentions—she was an experiment, a new toy that he must figure out.

"Good evening, Integra," I stood up as she stubbed out the cigar and finished off the tea, turning her chair to face the window, the moon gleaming like a gem. I slipped through the wall and down into the corridor directly below the office. I could hear stunted conversation from the kitchen, "Molly?" that sounded like Seras, "Molly?"

"Mols?" I stopped just short of the doorway, able to see the three figures in the amber light cast by dozens of candles, light glistening upon the black marble counter—tops and silver door-handles. "Molly?" The Frenchman took her hand, her eyes were glazed she had a far away look upon her features, they were completely relaxed, no lines or creases of frustration and her mouth didn't even seem to be as down-turned as usual. I could hear Pip's heart-beat, steady though picking up a beat every now and then, possibly out of worry. Pip asked once more, "Molly?" She seemed to awaken, her face still blank and unfathomable, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Molly?" She turned her head to look at the two figures nearest her, like a child would, dozy and docile, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, my friend." I watched closely as her eyes glistened and sparkled with happiness, her heartbeat beating faster as she seemed to slowly zone out again.

"We've been asking y' for ages...y' just seemed all zoned out and stuff." Seras and Pip leant in and Molly awakened again, her eyelashes sparkled as well, she was crying? Holding back tears? Was she in pain? I could smell the faint putrid scent of her blood so her wounds must have been open, but it wasn't like Molly to cry over something as mundane as pain.

"Sorry, I…" She smiled, not one of her half-smiles or her reminiscing smiles, this was a new one...and it seemed to light up her whole face. Her nose wrinkled only slightly, but there was feeling in her eyes, feeling and fire. The air around her crackled with emotions, but I couldn't figure out which one was so strong within her. "I just had an epiphany." She smiled to each of her friend in turn, eyes glowing as tears appeared on her skin and trickled down. It couldn't have been pain...The static of her mind crackled like electric fire, excited and pleased...she was happy.

"Molly?" Pip started in his chair, his face crumpled in confusion and concern. He knew Molly just as well as I did, and knew she wasn't one for crying-- to cry was to show weakness-- and here she was, blatantly showing that she did have emotion as more tears dripped over her features and from her angular jaw. I stepped into the doorway for a closer look, her smile growing as she looked to each of her friends again and again, she started to fidget in her chair and toy with her blue coat.

"Molly, it doesn't seem like you to cry," My voice cut through the silence of the room and Molly looked up into my direction, at first startled and then slightly soothed, she laughed.

"I'm not crying," What a stupid lie, she was crying—the tears were more than apparent in her eyes and on her cheeks-- she refused to accept that she was crying, she knew it was weakness.

Molly's hair curled and waved down her back as she looked to the terrace door and then back at me. "Then why are tears dripping down your face?" I asked, stepping into the room, the candles heating up my cold, dead flesh and casting my flickering shadows across walls and floors and counters and tables. Molly's mouth turned down at the corners as she shrugged, but returned to that same growing smile. They were tears of happiness that dripped down her face, so out of character for her. I'd known her as more than an acquaintance for around a month, maybe a week or so more, and I knew she did not cry, nor did she feel happiness—not that often anyway. It seemed she only felt happy when she was punishing the scum that ran amuck through the streets and alleys; why was she like this now? Her heart-beat pounded within her chest and no doubt that putrid, wondrous miracle blood pumped through her veins, rushing throughout her body. I'd love to toy with those veins, to pluck them like strings, she would not produce the music to accompany it, but the sight itself would be a reward in itself. She would be truly worthy in a fight; she would be weaker than me, but she would not give up, she would fight until the very last second, which probably drew me to her all the more.

"It's a beautiful evening." She answered after a pause. She took an apple from the bowl and bit into it, the second pair of eye-teeth helping her to make short work out of the apple. She skipped past me like a girl, hummed to herself unconsciously as she flung open the terrace doors and span around upon the patio, her red hair curling around her body and dancing with the wind. She stopped, still humming to herself tunefully, and stared up at the moon. Her actions were so strange, so...impulsive and alien of her. She span around again, producing arabesques upon the steps and dancing upon the lawn.

"What's up with 'er?" Seras asked, still frowning, _Is she taking drugs? _

_"_I zink our friend, Molly, may be 'appy for ze first time in years." Pip concluded, more to himself than anyone else.

"She'll become a liability if she carries on like that while we're fighting."

"Oh, come on, Master, she's probably never felt that good in 'er life—wha' abou', I d'know—but let 'er 'ave her fun, f'now."

Seras frowned, "I almost feel jealous. What did she do that was so good? What happened?"

"The lights went out?" Pip asked, shrugging. My eyes turned to Molly, her slight figure twisting and turning up the lawn, bouncing from one flower-head to the other, singing up at the moon. She turned to look at the house and she seemed to look at me, her smile grew broader—if that were possible—and she returned to skipping around like a care-free schoolgirl. We didn't know anything about her, we didn't know her background. Well, we only knew what she told us, and we knew what her motives were. She didn't want to get paid for this, maybe because she was getting paid elsewhere; she had appeared at the scene suddenly and captivated us in a way that would make it a sure thing of her employment, especially at this time, anyway. The power-cuts had appeared around the same time she had, she was not human, nor was she a vampire...she could be another experiment for all we knew; just as Anderson was an experiment for that pig at Section XIII, she could be just another experiment for a group lead by Maximus.

The only way we could truly figure her out would be to interrogate her properly...then all questions would be answered.

**A/N: I wrote this a few days ago and thought it was alright, but I'm adding in something: carrying on! gaaaah! I just had my hair cut, tres short and spiky-- me loves it! Thank you to all my reviewers and favouriters-- YOU ROCK MY HIGHWAY TO INSANITY! :P:P**

**Doctor Izcarius Fauster **

**The next day**

The infirmary was freezing, even though spring was upon us it seemed that the infirmary was still as cold as ever. I shrugged off my white coat and made my way through the infirmary to the door hiding the stairs leading to mine and Peter's private quarters. I took the wooden stairs in two, the wood creaking beneath me, the door was already open and Peter could be heard snoring loudly from his room. We were given our own apartment, which suited me fine—Peter was easy to get along with—the apartment consisted of a large lounge area, with, bizarre as it was, a conversation pit set into the centre of the room; to the left was a generous kitchenette complete with breakfast bar and all the other utilities needed for a complete kitchen; to the right, through an archway, was the dining room with enough chairs to have a large dinner party and a bar for entertaining; to the right of the was the study which also served as a library. There were two large double bedrooms complete with en suite bathrooms and walk in wardrobes and even a single spare room which was more a store room than anything else and finally the communal bathroom which wasn't really used that much.

I opened the door to my wardrobe and sorted through the clothes until I found a large jumper and pulled it on over my shirt. I returned to the infirmary, but still I was cold, "Christ, the only thing missing is the vapour." I exhaled deeply, no vapour emerged from my mouth, but still—the room was cold. I wheeled myself over in my desk chair to the end of my desk nearest the radiator and angled my body towards it. The heat was enough that I stopped shivering, but not really enough to warm me enough to make me feel comfortable. The infirmary seemed to me more of a morgue than anything else, it was as quiet, lonesome and as frigid as one, the beds lined against three walls were silent, still and some seemed to be inhabited, the screen pulled across only showing the silhouette or the few pillows thrown carelessly on the empty bed.

I swallowed; yes, it was quite unnerving being in the infirmary on my own, doubly unnerving knowing that the new equipment was temperamental and could submerge me into darkness at the flick of a switch.

A knock echoed around the room as I returned to my documents, I jumped, "C—come in." I called, clearing my throat nervously and saving my work. A red head popped around the door, "Oh, Molly, good evening." She grinned at me, remaining silent and closed the door quietly behind her. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and she flexed her fingers in that way she did when she felt slightly uncomfortable, she started to tug at her sleeve. She jumped up to sit on the examining table in an adjoining room, "Are you ill, Molly?" I asked, standing up and heading towards her, she swung her legs childishly; she looked up, still smiling. My heart beat a little faster, this was incredibly unlike her, it was unnerving, "Er...What seems to be the problem?" _Mood swings, a sense of euphoria and invincibility and delusional thinking, maybe that's what's bothering her. In that case it's a clear case of psychosis. _

Molly laughed, still smiling, "I'm well, I am healthy and happy, Izzy. But—close the door," I did as I was asked and closed the door, turning on the luminescent lights above us; the light flickered and then settled, contorting Molly's features into something ugly and monstrous, I jumped. "I think you and I should have a little talk, Doctor," My heart seemed to stop for a second, "do sit, do," she tapped the table beside her in a friendly manner. This was not at all like her; it scared me, made me uneasy.

"We are friends, are we not, Sir?" She asked, the smile now gone to be replaced with seriousness; I relaxed, this was the Molly I had gotten used to.

"I think we are, yes, Miss Blue," She smiled and nodded.

"Good. It's just; I have recently decided that I want to find out what I am once and for all. I've had enough of this...lying, if you will, after I have figured out what I am I intend to find my father—but first I must find out the former, will you help me in doing so, sir?" I blinked.

"Well...I...I'm not completely sure I understand you, Blue," I sat up next to her, the table was not comfortable and within a few moments I felt my arse protest. "Do you wish for me to do blood tests?"

"The works, Sir. MRI, X-Rays, blood tests, all those things that will once and for all clarify whether I am human or not."

"I—" I had to ask her to repeat this, I was flabbergasted—Molly was allowing me to test her?! I'd been waiting for this day for so long! To actually have her permission to test her, it was amazing! Spectacular! No more sneaking around trying to steal blood samples from her while she was asleep, a recent memory flooded back as my head spun off with the possibilities.

Molly had fallen asleep on the sofa and Alucard had left after playing chess with her, I had stayed behind, supposedly reading "la belle dame sans merci" by Keats and I had my opportunity. I had taken to carrying a tourniquet and syringe with me, just in case, and moved closer to Molly's sleeping form. I was able to loop the tourniquet around her arm and prep the needle before Alucard's cold voice asked: "Do you think Molly would appreciate your stealing from her?" At this point I withdrew and quickly packed up the tourniquet and syringe, stuffing both into my pockets before trying to escape. Alucard's steel grip fell on my shoulder, holding me in place as aching pain spread over my collarbone, his fingers working to snap the fragile bones as simply as dropping china. "She regards you as a friend, Izcarius, to betray her trust will not be good for you—I have been promised your life if you show even a glimpse of the trait that your ancestor gave you." I had felt myself pale as I turned slowly to face him; usually I would run, but he had brought up my family's origins—I could not ignore that.

"I'd not insult my heritage, if I were you, Vampire," I answered, fists balled at my side. I had made an unwise decision, he seemed to thrive on my confrontation. "My family have all been great influences on society, excelling in medicine-- helping society--"

"No matter what the cost: a life here, a soul there and all for fame and recognition,"

"Good night, Alucard," Alucard laughed wryly, eyes flashing over his sunglasses.

"A very pleasant evening to you, Doctor—perhaps you have finally learnt your lesson? You will not try being sneaky again? Though I wish you would," He had grinned, showing off razor-like teeth and he smirked as the colour drained from my face and I scurried away back to the safety of my office.

To think, there wouldn't be anymore run-ins with that dreadful vampire, everyone would be happy: I'd get my suspicions answered, Molly gets her answers, I don't get killed or ripped into little strips for noodles...the only person who doesn't win is Alucard-- and I'm fine with that. I grinned inwardly and turned to the girl beside me. "I'd be more than happy to help you answer those questions, Molly."

Her serious expression disappeared to turn into a great beam, she bounced forwards; I held breath in remembrance of her smiles as she lunged at me as she stopped me from taking blood samples or just to scare me. But instead, her small, but well-muscled, arms wrapped around my neck and she kissed my cheek, "Thank you." she whispered into my ear. I raised my eyebrows and wrapped my arms around her slight body, smiling inwardly—her friendliness was well-deserved, I'd been a good friend to her and now I was reaping the benefits.

"You're such a good friend—all of you are." Molly laughed, it could've been musical if it weren't for her obviously inhuman background.

"Miss Blue, when would you like to do the tests?"

"Now? That is, if you aren't busy or too tired," My inward smile grew—God was finally rewarding me for all my hard work! Alucard may not let me do a _single _test of him, but Molly was allowing me do _multiple _tests. I didn't want to seem too eager, but I felt that she may change her mind if I didn't agree to "help" her immediately.

"I'm never too tired for you, Molly." I smiled as friendly as I could without showing any other facial expression and hopped down from the table and stepped over to a cupboard and made a show of getting a tourniquet and the other needed equipment while pulling them out from my pocket—always be prepared. I smirked triumphantly as I fiddled with both, getting the sense of victory out of my system before turning to her—I wouldn't want to scare the little creature would I?

She'd already taken off her over coat and shirt in anticipation of the sample; she still seemed perfectly content—her smile waned every now and then, showing her unease, but other than that she was completely still. I wrapped the tourniquet around her arm, quickly dabbed it with antiseptic-drenched cotton-bud and inserted the needle. Still she didn't move; she watched me intently, still smiling and eyes fascinated by the routine in which I took her blood and marveled at the deep bluish liquid within the vial. "Well, that's certainly not normal." I smiled at her and cleared away the equipment. "Shall we do an MRI scan now?"

"Yes, that would be good." Molly followed me out of the examination room and into the final adjoining room, wherein the X-ray machine and MRI scanner sat silently in the darkness, the chill: still, morgue-like and the darkness, ominous. I turned on the luminescent lights once more, Molly's pupils dilated and contracted into reptilian slits as she moved over to a screen and took a clean gown from a cupboard. She hummed to herself happily as she dropped her clothes to the floor and donned the gown, I watched how her silhouette moved, observing the graceful and fluent movements were which were so like a predators.

She appeared from behind the screen and stood expectantly before me, I regarded her for a moment, "You'll need to take your hat off, Blue," Came a voice from behind me; I wheeled around to see Alucard stepping through the wall, his face blank of all emotion or facial expression. Molly blinked and removed her hat, setting it on a table behind the screen, and returned to the centre of the room.

I turned on the machine, keen to ignore the vampire, and watched as Molly lied down upon the slab, "This won't hurt—unless you have anything metal inside of you, which I doubt you do"

"I always remove bullets when I'm shot, have no fear, my friend." I couldn't help but notice the sincerity in which she addressed me as her comrade, for a nanosecond I actually felt guilt—but then it dissipated and I was myself again, intent on finding out what made this strange creature tick. Alucard followed me into the booth and stood to my left, eyes on the monitors and the controls and my manner. No doubt he was going through my mind, sorting through feelings and thoughts to see whether I had drugged her and coerced her into doing this.

"How did you get her to do this, Faust?" He asked lazily. He had taken to calling me that since our last run-in and I did not approve of it, though I wouldn't say anything—his strength far exceeded my own. "I did not force her, Alucard, I did no trick her or drug her—she chose me to do the tests, she wishes to find out what she is, how she works and I can't deny her that,"

"More like you won't. What if she changes her mind—now?" I turned on the controls within the booth and slid the slab into the machine pointedly, the monitors lit up as the machine jumped into action. I turned to the microphone, "Molly, please try not to move."

"As I thought." Alucard scoffed. How could he act like the righteous one? He was just as intrigued as me, it was just that he was the coward and dared not ask her or actually act on his fascinations.

I tapped at the keys, sure to record this find, and stopped...

"What..." the image was clear on the screen, but it looked so... "Is she...?" I whispered under my breath. Alucard leant in to the monitor as well, immediately removing his sunglasses, his intrigue and fascination heightened-- I could feel it in the air.

Molly had the strangest internal organs! Her arteries were not at all set out in the normal way; the only thing vaguely human about her was her external appearance. "She..." I couldn't even think what to _say_, let alone _do_. Her digestive system was so messed up (I shall tell you of this first as you will understand the rest of her that much more).

It was not the usual esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver and the intestines—no, no, that would be fair too human for a creature such as her to have! She had an esophagus, which proceeded straight down and then there were several different organs taking up the space of where her lungs should have extended (for these were much smaller and did not need to space) and part of her digestive system. The esophagus went through something that could've been her stomach—though, once again was much smaller—and carried on to fan out into a variant of tubes that created a star shape, each tube leading to a new organ. In the centre of this star-shaped formation was a small organ of around the size of a golf ball.

I noticed that it pulsed once and such large and obviously vital arteries and veins ran through and from these little organs that they seemed to be hearts; the organs set into a shape that was reminiscent of a pentagram—arteries and larger veins reached out from the unknown organs, linking each one in turn. From the four lower organs came two sets of arteries and veins on each side, which wrapped around her torso and linked behind her back in a bizarre formation. Clusters and clusters of blood vessels spread all over her back; the four sets of arteries and veins linked to make a large artery and vein which ran up her spine and around her neck (the clustering of vessels grew thicker around the spine, like branches upon a tree) making the carotid artery and jugular vein. But both were created in such a way that a normal slitting motion would not harm them. The artery and vein themselves appeared at the side of her neck only a centimetre underneath her jaw-line to go up and create the facial arteries etc.

She had no small or large intestines, no kidneys, no bladder, nothing. It was simply that strange digestive system, which seemed like half a dozen little hearts; her heart and arteries and muscles. She had something like the human artery layout: jugular and carotid, aorta and vena cava, but all these normal arteries and veins were so much smaller, they seemed almost superfluous. Her body was completely different, her "human" heart was on the right and there were no arteries or veins across her upper chest—which would explain why, when she was shot that first evening, she did not die or bleed profusely.

It was her reproductive organs that also caught my attention. Two recognisable ovaries, two wombs and a deformed ovary between the two wombs; though, somehow, I didn't believe the third reproductive organ was an ovary—it had a different purpose, something much more bizarre.

"She...is definitely not human..." I whispered breathlessly, quickly I set about saving the imaging to a memory stick.

"Well, can you tell her what she is or can't you?" I heard Alucard move around behind me, but didn't bother looking up—that bastard can piss off! He can shut his mouth! I've got results! I...have to get this on the database, Molmally will give me an award, no doubt, for showing them this—if this is all correct, it should shed some light on the blood poisoning gene they found in the O blood group. And wasn't Molly O negative?

"It's evolution!" I cried, spinning around, my pulse raced—the human race was not meant to evolve further, but here I had proof! She must have evolved! The blood group evolved! Into what...I do not know...

No...No...it can't be evolution, she was too animalistic. Perhaps it was a genetic experiment gone wrong...a new strain of the vampire gene! "She..." No...that couldn't be it. Whatever she was—she was my new desire, she _had _to be mine! She had to be...she was too spectacular to let go. I'd have to tell her something...tell her she's an evolution of the human race—no, no...she'd know I was lying, or would she? She hadn't so far...could she hear my thoughts? That bastard Alucard can...but can she? I know she has a knack for reading minds—she has read so many other peoples: Graham's, Pip's...

Speaking of Pip...didn't he have interests in her? If he did, surely she would go for him—they seem incredibly friendly—so...what can I do? I thought. What can I do to make sure that she would be mine and not his?

She was growing naive—how I loved it. I could remember when I first saw her, I remembered thinking how small she was, how utterly unfeminine, how grotesque she could seem as a man's lover. It wasn't that she was ugly: her eyes were pale, chilling and quite entrancing; her nose was long and pointed—it had a cruel look to it that would have captivated Faust's soulless heart—her mouth was permanently displeased, the upper lip cut quite nicely into points; it was a shame about her jaw, completely unfeminine, which was more squared and masculine though her long elegant—though scarred—neck made up for it. Her hair, as well, was such a lovely colour—the colour of blood, something I felt quite at home with—and the length of it was feminine and reminded me of Lilith, who wound her hair around men's necks until the life was squeezed out of them.

No, what made her so grotesque was her mannerisms, her lack of curves—she was perhaps more boy-like in build. The scars that ruined everything about that otherwise perfect skin and, of course, her fighting. It wasn't lady-like, she killed people—occasionally enjoyed it—and that was monstrous. She was spectacular and amazing and yet grotesque and deformed, she was not a woman but a creature. But even so, I wanted her, _I could change her, tame her—soon after she would learn to obey..._But, unfortunately, my own little idiosyncrasies—neurotics, nerves, coldness, curiosity and determination—would make her never take me seriously, she wouldn't obey, she wouldn't do this and that, no, she'd laugh. They all did, the bastards.

"Faust." Alucard's deep tones cut through my thoughts and this only annoyed me more, "You have ran your tests, right?"

"Yes,"

"Then perhaps it is time you let her go—it is early morning." I shook my head, turning off the scanners and letting her out of the scanner; immediately she sat up, visibly shivering. I went to her side, asked if she was alright, whether she wanted a drink—the effects of the scanner could be very different to those on a human—of which there weren't any. She shook her head and asked that we get on with the final tests—the X-rays. Though there were other tests I wished to do: I wished to take samples from those strange little organs, to study her arterial system more thoroughly etc.

Alucard stayed to watch the last of the proceedings, taking pleasure in my annoyance and agitation.

If the scan had been bizarre it was only matched by her bone structure. She had the bone structure of a human, save she had double the amount of collarbones, her ribs grew together to form a circular plate over the alien organs, her pelvic bones grew together to form another protective plate over her reproductive organs and her spine was somehow double-jointed, the spinal chord within it somehow reinforced to make its being severed almost impossible. Actually, it seemed very snake-like; coupled with the fangs growing from almost her cheekbones and protruding slightly from her gums over her first set of eye-teeth, she seemed to be a descendant of a serpent of some sort.

When I showed her these scans and X--rays she seemed almost as fascinated as me, but returned to complacency when I admitted I could not rightly tell her what she was.

"Red, you have a wide knowledge of the occult, what do you think I am?" I returned to my desk to upload the imaging and send it off to Molmally or Merris—either way it would be put on the GMAA database. I heard the two of them talking quietly. "It's probable that you are related to a demon—somehow—what rank or type is still unknown."

"So, the only way I could really find out my heritage is to find my father?" I turned around to see Molly looking downcast and slightly upset. "I had rather hoped that my questions would be answered from these tests alone."

"Well, they weren't a total loss, Mols," I smiled returned to her side to squeeze her shoulder, "at least know we'll know whether you're at threat from diseases, how you work."

"You make me sound like a mechanical clock, Doctor." Molly sneered, rotating her shoulder from me, I recoiled—boldness diminishing to be replaced by my usual meekness, and that Vampire smirked.

"I mean no offence, Molly, simply that I would be able to help you more should you get hurt."

"I suppose, sorry." She sniffed begrudgingly, though immediately her frown was replaced with a bright smile again.

"There are a few questions I'll need to ask next, Miss Blue." I cleared my throat, waiting for Alucard to disappear, but he did not.

"Well ask them, Sir," she still smiled.

"Are you sure you want Alucard here?" I asked.

"He lives here, it's his choice." Molly shrugged and Alucard made no move to leave, instead watched me as if I bored him.

"Right," I nodded slowly, wondering how to word the next questions. I sighed and decided to just ask frankly. "You are a virgin?"

"Yes."

"When was your last period?"

"Pardon?"

"Your period,"

"Period of what—rest? Famine?"

"When did you last menstruate?"

"Um..." She looked at me as if I was speaking in tongues and I stopped, she had no idea what a period was!

"Have you noticed any bleeding?" I asked, she blinked and then recognition dawned on her face.

"Oh! Well, only a little bit, but nothing I can't handle, I just wash the wounds on my back as much as poss—"

"No, I-- are you sure you want Alucard to be here?" I glanced at him nervously, his mouth twitched to hold back form smirking or laughing; finally he restored his composure and leant in to Molly's ear and whispered something to her. Molly jumped before he pulled away, startled and puzzled.

"No. No I have not." She answered quickly, "I do not 'menstruate.'" She stressed this word, obviously still baffled by it, "Why? Should I?"

"If you want to procreate, then yes." Alucard answered, he sighed, "It's inappropriate for me to stay, good morning Molly, _Faust_er." He slipped through the wall and left us alone in the morgue-like infirmary.

"I'd like to do some more tests, though; I know you will say no to these ones in particular,"

"Oh? You know I can stand pain,"

"Yes, but you may find a cervical smear a bit humiliating." She frowned.

"I refuse cervical smears, they are pointless." She jumped down from the examining table and disappeared around the screen, quickly clothing herself. I shrugged, it wasn't really her cervix that intrigued me; it was her organs and heart. "Izzy?" She called from behind the screen as I went about filing copies of her scans and X--rays.

"Mmm?"

"Could I borrow some equipment?" I pulled a face, immediately growing nervous—what would she want with medical equipment?

"What and why?" I asked, noting that my voice wavered and that I had returned to wringing my wrists.

"A tourniquet and some other equipment, I'd like to collect some of my blood," She appeared from behind the screen and tilted her hat, still smiling friendlily.

"Why?" I asked, surely she would end up killing herself with her need to collect her own blood.

"For a friend, I always give him some for his birthday—it's a treat," I shook my head vigorously.

"N--no, I can't let you do that." Wasting her bizarre blood like that! Why would she want to do that?!

"Oh, ok." I returned to the filing and then sat at my computer, typing up my results. After a few more minutes the door closed and I relaxed, grinning. As I turned back around I noticed that my supply cupboard door was ajar. I inspected it quickly and noted that she had taken the equipment she needed, I sighed exasperatedly. "Fine." I grumbled aloud.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this update, it's a bit wordy isn't it? Aaaah, well, if you didn't enjoy this chapter the next one will be better :D OOOOH! There's a HUGE action chapter coming up soon, I can't wait to write it XD XD wooooot! To be honest, the next few chapters leading up to it are more "oooooh, slowly but surely we are figuring out everything" :P anyway, for my reviewers:**

**Gdchika: **I thought I'd mention you again to make you all happy and smiley, I love making people feel good, makes me feel good. You're a great reviewer, hope your writing is going well! We shall thumb our noses to the devil which is Writer's Block. I'm not going to tell you the pairings...it's a soopreeeez.

**Lil--Blood--sucker: **Sweetie, I know you're upset, so I hope this mention will make you all better. Just think you're going to be old like me soon! HUGGLE!

**The Revoker: **Don't worry, his accent gets better! I really like to focus on it, before it was just a trial run, now I just love it...except when I start writing alucard I start writing "zis and zat" instead of actual English. But it's all fun. Thanks for reviewing!

**Archsage Soren: **I'm a stickler on continuity, if I feel a fiction is getting iffy around the edges, I finish it, wait for people to tell me whether they think it's going sticky and then pull the plug. I'd hate for my writer's reputation to be marred by a bad idea or just plain bad writing. But I mustn't take all the credit, in my rapid typing I usually miss out words here and there and negatives, so Marie should get a cookie from everyone I think :P here's an update by the way, hope you enjoyed it! I know i'll enjoy your review.

**MISSBUNNY (pet bunny that is): **Whenever I read your reviews I, for some reason, think of Jessica Rabbit :P Do you know who she is? She a busty cartoon who is really a sex symbol for all cartoons...I hope you're not insulted by that...it's meant to be a compliment :P I love reading your reviews.

**Fleeting Glance: **I've always wondered what your name meant, I hope it doesn't mean you take a fleeting glance of fictions, lol. I love reading your reviews, be as critical as you want, I love it. It makes my work better, makes me improve.

**Nightfeathers: **I'm glad you enjoy this fiction XD I like the changes, but they serve a purpose, my friend. I suck with secrets...why did you have to say you have a theory! Now I'm intrigued into your theory and no doubt after hearing yours I will tell you mine (which isn't really a theory, as it's true) Oh, Feathers, how your torment me-- (locks mouth closed and signs: But I shall not tell, you cannot make me!) ahem...

**Weirdunusualchick: **I now adore you! I'm not saying NOTHIN'! ...No--one's ever even tried to piece stuff together for me before, me loves it! It rocks and it's nice..just overall nice. Thank you so much for your review, I was like "wooohooo!!" honestly, I did exclaimed "woohoo"-- is that slightly lame? I think it might be, but still, your review deserved a lame--girl exclamaition lol. I think you and nightfeathers may get on by the way, nightfeathers also has a theory about the whole Molly thing, though our feathery friend will not tell me what her ideas are-- which I'm glad cos I'd probably ruin it for everyone.

Did I mention you all get cookies? Cybertronic ones, yes, but cookies nonetheless XD

**Favouriters: You all rock, but how do I know what you think of this if you don't say anything XD: KURRYdaJIGGAmonkey, Konoha Shinobi, Black Fang 02, Lady of the eternal black rose, cleverplane-- by the way, GREAT FIC. I shall now plug you XD**

**anyone who is not reading Cleverplane's (AKA Jen) fic is an idiot, not in a mean way, in a way that you have no idea what you are missing, **_**tattoo**_** rocks, go read it! (though, that is to say, finish this first, then read hers XD) There ya go, Jenness, all for you! dances with mushroom people **

**Hey, do we all think Molly's now insane? hmmm...she's just happy...you could say she's kind bipolar :S poor her. **

**-- end transmission static **


	18. Three Bottles of O Neg

**Alucard**

**Chapter 18**

**A/N: Lol, I am such a ditz :P this chapter should have come waaaaaaay earlier, for it not to have come earlier would be to believe Alucard as slow on the uptake (as Weirdunusualchick pointed out) But still... this has quite a lot of POV changes, so be aware :D bonne lisez! By the way- really long. **

Seras was with the mercenaries and was not bothering me and Molly was nowhere to be seen and so I was on my own in the Den, though, I wasn't complaining. _Occasionally _- I cannot stress this word enough - it was quite refreshing to spend some time in solitary reflection without the mess of a battle. Immediately I found myself wondering about the mystery of Anais and Molly, thoughts of this mystery came more frequently, though I never really got enough time to think about it in depth due to the thoughts of the impending battle with the tenacious freak, Maximus.

It was possible that Anais' own qualities—mainly sexism and a generally untrusting character—could have been brought out in her daughter, Molly. Though, there were loose ends I had recently started to pick up. Molly had no idea what she was, as did Anais, they were both sexist, both suspicious of everyone and everything and both had such a unique way of thinking and writing. Such a unique style could not be duplicated and then there were the memories…

Molly had become more and more restless in her sleep, most days I was brought out of my own quiet repose by her screams, her sobbing or mental battles and, of course, I would not let times like these pass by. I had had unlimited access to her thoughts and memories as she slept, I could watch what she had watched, could know all the things she did and hear her own thoughts on the people around her. Only the night before I had watched over her as she traipsed up and down her room in her sleep—she had become so restless that she now sleep-walked—and entered her mind.

_She was younger, there was not a scar on her flesh, her blood-red hair was more vibrant and was piled up on her hair with floral decorations curled up with it. She wore a floor-length dress of white and gold and the style was too old to have been vintage; she sat at a vanity mirror, taking off a pearl necklace and undoing her hair, letting it cascade around her shoulders like a magnificent blood-fountain. She brushed her hair out, her eyes glistened with reserved happiness and, though her mouth was down-turned, it betrayed the hidden smile. There was a knock on the door, "Entree," she called, turning away from the mirror to watch as a tall blond man stepped through the door and closed it quietly behind him. _

_"Good evening, Cherub." _

_"Good evening, Sir, I trust you slept well?" _

_"Of course," he smiled, his eyes remained unsmiling as his mouth turned up at the corners, "May I sit with you? May we talk? Of course we may! Come, Sit," He sat down on her bed and tapped a place beside him, inviting her to sit with him. _

_"I would like to talk to you about something rather important, Cherub." Molly was confused as she sat down next to him, "You already know that your mother consented to be bound to me twenty years ago?" Molly nodded, "Well, I think it would be best if you were to be bound to me as well." _

_"No, I won't, you have been here, with us, all my life, but I will not let anyone drink my blo—"_

_"You would be drinking mine, Cherub. It will not hurt, I assure you of that—as I know you aren't very good with pain, are you, dearest?" He caressed her cheek and ran his hand through her hair, "It's quite strange to see you so infant-like even when it has been one hundred years, I do hope you age, it wouldn't be very well if you didn't, would it?" _

_"I'd like to age, sir, but, as you have said in the past, I might not. I wouldn't like to live forever, sir, forever is too long—especially in a body that is meant to stay as child-like as possible." _

_"Mmm. But we are getting off the subject." He sighed; his green eyes glistened as he leant in and kissed her head, "Will you?" _

_"Why? Is there a purpose to my being bound to you? For all I know that may mean something greater than just security..." _

_"Why so untrusting, Cherub? Have I done anything to harm you in these hundred years past? No. Have I said anything to offend you? No. Have I not given you a luxurious home? A social status amongst nobles and even the king himself? Have I not bought you beautiful things to keep you entertained?"_

_"But aren't beautiful things useless? You never find a noble woman, or even a pauper, who is both beautiful and useful, you are useful, therefore you cannot be beautiful, as is mother and most of her friends." The older gentleman did not seem impressed by being seen as simply useful and not goodlooking. _

_"Needless to say, Cherub, I have given you all these things and I have not given you one reason to mistrust me or hate me."_

_"But why is there a sudden need to bind me to you, sir?" _

_"If you don't want to, it's fine." He stood up and started toward the door, Molly stood up. _

_"Wait, master, I do not mean to insult or offend you, do not leave now when you feel so inclined to hate me." He turned and rested a hand on his hip, "I am worried, sir." _

_"Why should you be worried, little one?" _

_"Mother and I are bound—not by choice, as you well know—and it is just...we feel each other's pain, and you know I am not able enough to withstand pain." _

_"Indeed."_

_"I am worried that, should something terrible befall you, or even myself—for I do not mean to sound so selfish—I should feel that pain and your death." He smiled. _

_"Wise words for a seemingly youthful girl. You need not worry about those fears, it would simply mean that, should something hurtful befall you, you will be able to use my strength to defend yourself and, also, let me know when you do so that I may save you. The world is an evil and unjust place, Cherub, I would hate for something to happen to my little parakeet." He moved towards her and pulled her into an embrace. "We are family, little one, we have been together as friend for years, your mother and I are happy together and you are her daughter."_

_"But you refuse to let me call you father?" Molly inclined her head up to the gentleman, "Paris, do you hate me so much that you refuse to let me acknowledge you as my own?" He smiled sadly. _

_"No, no, pet; I just...I am not your true father and your mother refuses to tell me who is, I do not want you to become disillusioned." _

_"Alright, master, if that is what you wish."_

_"So, little one, do you believe being bound to me justified?" Molly thought for a moment and then nodded, his smile grew into a beam and his eyes flashed. "Well, pet," he pulled a small knife from his pocket and took Molly's hand, escorting her to the bed where he sat down with her beside him, "cut from my neck and drink," Molly paused before taking the knife and leant in, Paris closed his eyes and tilted his head back, undoing his shirt and removed his jacket so as not to ruin them both. Molly trailed the knife across his skin, not permitting herself to cut deeper, "Deeper, little one," he breathed. Molly nodded slowly her hands shaking as she rested the blade across his neck over the previous welt and dug the knife in deeper, the blood immediately ran down his neck and Paris hand flitted out, caught the back of her head and pushed her to him. Molly stiffened until her heartbeat came faster and a small moan slipped from her lips. She drank deep, her willing victim laughing as she moved closer to him, almost straddling his lap to drain him. _

_"Enough, Cherub," he chuckled, but she didn't stop, "Enough!" He commanded and he had to force her off him, she fell to the floor, panting and laughing. Boots appeared before her nose and a hand was offered to pull her back up. "I am sorry, master, I didn't mean to...you look pale," _

_"But at least you shall stay safe now, Cherub, come here," he pulled her into an embrace again and Molly noted that his neck had healed already. _

I withdrew from her mind. That was all I needed, no longer did I need to delve into her mind- though that wouldn't stop me, she still intrigued and entertained me—to find the answers I sought. Molly was not a descendant of Anais, but the very same person. She had stopped whimpering in her sleep and lay upon the bed, one arm over her head the other over her stomach as she dreamt on, her breathing slowing with her heart. The covers had twisted around her small form, to show the lack of a womanly figure and the small breasts.

This girl, who I had first thought to be a simple teenager pulled into battles and fights, was in fact, if my maths were right, five-hundred and nine years old. And she couldn't remember any of it, she had been through hell and pain and torment and couldn't remember how and by who, no doubt that tormented her as much as a beating or prolonged torture.

I awoke from my retrospection to the smell of Molly's blood. The large windows were open and a breeze danced with the drapes, I took the ancient volume on the coffee table and returned it to my pocket as I stuck my head out of the window where the scent of Molly's blood was the greatest. She sat out on the balcony from the room next-door, a tourniquet around her arm, a tube pushed into the crook of her elbow which coiled into an old wine bottle on the floor by her feet. I slip through the wall and joined her.

"A present for someone?" I asked amusedly as the bluish liquid carried on flowing down the pipe.

"Yes, it's Barnibus' birthday present. It's a bit late this year, but he doesn't keep track of how long he's asleep, so I'm sure he won't mind." The putrid smell brought back the memory of its taste and I could feel my mouth watering after her age old blood.

I sat down next to her, noting two other bottles to the other side of her, "You're draining your life away, Blue, I think it best to stop."

"I'm fine, I did those last night and the night before, twenty-four hours is plenty time to recover, besides I'm going this weekend."

"Oh?"

"Yes, Barnibus is the only other person other than mother who knows my father's name, if I knew his name I could search for the remnants of my family, which would be nice."

"I suppose it would. How far is it to his resting place?"

"It's on the coast, down in Devon. I'll be able to collect some more of that water from that well and see Barnibus, I hope he's healthy—if not, my blood will soon rejuvenate him." I nodded.

"How will you get down there?"

"I always walk; it gives me time to think,"

"That's quite a pilgrimage." Molly laughed.

"I cheat," I raised an eyebrow, "Well, when I lived in Ipswich I used to get the train down past Surrey and walk from there, I'd only need to walk 120 miles then, instead of the...two hundred? Two hundred and fifty? But I'll be fine walking the whole way this year; I'm much stronger than I have been in a few years."

"Would you like company?"

"Are you offering to come with me?"

"Well, we haven't had any action for over a week and a half, I think Seras might be able to go with you, should you want company,"

"Seras will get tired easily. Maybe Pip will come along." she mused aloud.

"I'm sure the Captain wouldn't mind accompanying you, it would give you some time alone," I smirked inwardly, as Molly glared at the wall opposite us.

"I'm not sure what's happening with the captain, he likes me as...more than a comrade."

"I had noticed that, yes."

"But, that is it—we're comrades. Should someone try and shoot him, I'd take a bullet for him, he's been a good friend, he's given me good advice, but," Molly paused and looked down to the bottle and laughed slightly. She pulled the tube out from her arm, immediately applying pressure to subdue the bleeding and asked that I put the stopper in the bottle, I did as asked and set the bottle down between us, the smell disgusting but rather entrancing.

"But?" I prompted.

"I don't feel the way he does. I don't want anything to ruin this friendship I have with him or anyone else."

"Understandable." I nodded, standing back up and looking up at the sky, the waning moon glimmering beautifully in a shroud of midnight blue taffeta and small sequins. Molly stood up also, stumbling slightly and righting herself quickly, she brought all three bottles into her arms and made her way to the door, she paused trying to maneuver the bottles in such a way that she could open the door. I smirked as I held the door open for her, "I can see why being able to walk through walls could be useful," Molly chuckled as she stopped in a large dining room and deposited the bottles on a table as she searched the room for her bag, consequently not remembering where she had put it.

"So, who could go with me? Perhaps Izzy will come with me? He likes hiking, or so he says—he climbed Mount Everest for one of his holidays—he'd be a quick walker wouldn't he?" Molly looked to me after stuffing the bottles in her rucksack.

"I'm not sure that going with Fauster will be in your best interests, Blue." She frowned.

"You two don't get on, do you?" She smiled, patting my arm as if she pitied me, "You need to see the good in people, Red, it can only lead to good things." I frowned.

"Molly, may I ask what has brought on your...delusional behaviour?" Now it was her turn to frown, and it soothed me to see her with her usual facial expression rather than the alien smiles and grins.

"I'm allowing myself to see the good in people rather than stressing myself into an early death with my mistrusting behaviour." _Early death my ass._ "If I see the good in people I can trust them, if I trust them I can live in happiness—something I haven't felt in quite a long time, Red." She pulled her hand away from my arm and turned her back to me, debating whether to leave unceremoniously or just ignore me for a few moments.

"You may feel happiness now, but what happens when someone hurts you?" Molly stiffened and turned around slowly, eyes shining with worry.

"But, you won't, will you?" Her mouth was down-turned again and set into a child-like pout.

"I have no need to hurt you, but...some do." The pout disappeared and Molly scoffed.

"Oh, yes, they're waiting in the shadows with all manner of weapons—ready to beat me into unconsciousness where they can do what the ruddy well like with me!"

"Molly, I'm being serious, Fauster is not as trustworthy as you imagine him to be. Haven't you heard what he thinks when around you? Pip, Seras and I are always there to fend him off as he comes at you with a tourniquet and syringe while you sleep!" Molly frowned at me.

"For your information, I can't hear his thoughts and I don't think you're telling the truth, Alucard." Her voice returned to its chilling tones, all smiles were gone and her cold blue eyes would have withered the flesh off a mortal. I folded my arms.

"Why would I lie?"

"To make me return to mistrust, coldness and cruelty—the person with whom you loved fighting!" Molly slipped the bag over her head, the strap running between her small breasts; accentuating them, her chest rose and fell rapidly, her heartbeat thumping harder with anger. "I won't be cold anymore, Alucard! I have life to give and I shall start now before it's too late," The ancient volume weighed down in my duster pocket as she said this. "I may not be able to remember anything but I know this is how I have always been, I can change now, change now and feel happiness until my death."

"You are being naive, Miss Molly Blue." I snarled, gripping onto her arms, perhaps I could scare her into realisation.

"Unhand me, Alucard, before I do something I may or may not regret!" She snarled back, her own strange eye-teeth slowly lengthening , her first pair growing a few centimetres and the serpent-like pair growing over these to her lower jaw.

"Naivety won't get you anywhere, Molly, _Faust_ wants you for experiments—he doesn't care if you feel pain while he does them, he wants results! You are a toy to him and, in this state, he could harm you more than if you were cold and mistrusting." A serpentine hiss slipped from her mouth as she slapped me, just hard enough to make my head turn. Molly threw the bag over her shoulders and kicked it across the room, immediately lunging at me.

"Molly, you stupid creature!" I snarled, teeth aching to bite into her and teach her a lesson. I slapped her, her small body flew across the room into a piano tucked away in a corner, the piano shrieking as its spotless body disfigured from the impact. Molly pulled herself back to her feet and quickly jumped at me, her speed nor her strength matching mine and I would not hold back this time. I gripped onto her arm and pushed it up her back, a sickening pop indicating the dislocation of her shoulder, and she made no noise. She still fought against me, soundlessly, as I held her upon the table trying to calm myself—Integra would be deeply agitated should her death be at my hand.

"Molly, listen to me," I snarled, edging towards her neck, splinters had cut open the back of her neck- opening her strange arteries- the blue-black dripping down the nape of her neck, the smell disgusting, my nose wrinkling from the putrid stink.

"I am happy! I will not change for anyone—no matter how many bloody bones they break!" She shrieked, kicking my knee with such force that, for a moment, it snapped. She fought harder against me, but my strength would not let up, but she still fought on. "Give up, Molly,"

"No!" She swore profusely, twisting her hips and arching her back.

"Calm down!" I commanded, that putrid smell calling to me, it had tasted so sweet but bitter, disgusting but lovely, like a mixture of all opposites colliding—it was chaotic. She fought against me for a few more moments and then calmed down; I let her arm go and stepped back.

Molly's head was bowed, she nursed her arm and then grabbed onto the shoulder and forced it back into it's socket without even flinching, she glared at me as she turned around, her eyes alight with rage. "Good night, Alucard," Her voice was icy and pushed past me, taking the bag from the ground and making for the door. Pip appeared in the doorway, "Is everyone alright?" he asked in his French accent. "Jesus Christ! What 'appened in 'ere? Molly, are you alright?" Molly pushed past him as he looked at the piano and then at me, "Did you 'urt 'er, Alucard?" He asked.

"We had an argument," I shrugged, making my way back to the terrace, "Someone may want to clean up the piano," I waved my hand in the general direction of the three-legged, wonky mess.

Molly didn't want to talk to me for the rest of the evening, and throughout the day she had taken to bouncing a ball against her wall in a childish attempt to get back at me, the constant thump irritated me, but not enough to risk what remained of our friendship. I was glad I hadn't gone to her friend's resting place with her as it would have been a very uncomfortable and silent journey, but I was annoyed further when I found that she had taken _Faust_ with her even with my warnings.

**Doctor Izcarius Fauster **

We walked the whole way, only occasionally taking a bus or train—mainly because of my complaints—we slept in woodlands under the stars, Molly seemed completely at home in the wild—as she should, she was a feral creature after all.

I noticed that her right shoulder was severely bruised, and as I queried her on it she seemed to go very quiet and shook her head to signal she didn't want to talk about it. Other than that, there was no lack in conversation; we stuck with safe topics—mainly my anecdotes from past hospitals—and arguing who was better: Keats or Baudelaire. I concluded that, should she end up being mine, I would enjoy most of her company, could put up with it if it meant having her as my own.

I asked her once or twice what was happening between her and the Captain, each time she explained that she had not feelings, other than comradeship, for Pip or anyone else she worked with, but would not elaborate on what happened between her and Alucard—before we left I heard the guards talking about Molly and the Vampire had had an argument and broken a piano. The fact that the Vampire was in her black books was good enough for me, it meant he wouldn't try telling her what I thought—should she be oblivious to my thoughts—it meant that she was that much closer to being mine.

We made it to Devon after three days of constant trekking, and Molly seemed to become more genial as we got closer to a small village on one of those quaint little bays. She stopped at a hillside to look at the houses and boats, "Isn't it beautiful?" She asked me, turning to smile at me. I nodded.

"It's a quaint little town. Whereabouts are we going?" Molly pointed past the town to a spire just visible through green swaying trees. The sea was an angry blue-green and the sky was almost black with storm clouds, the boats swayed on the waves vigorously and fisherman pulled their boats up to the bay as quickly as possible as the first signs of a storm appeared on the horizon, bolts of lightning lighting up the sky with the deafening rumble after a few more moments. It had been drizzling for some twenty minutes before and my clothes were damp, my hair plastered to my skin, Molly seemed to be in her element, she took the bag off one shoulder and rested it on the next and took my hand, leading me down the steep road.

"I love this place!" Molly called over the rumble of thunder, "Our hotel was just over there," She pointed to a tall white building—very hotel looking—just a few hundred metres away from the spire. "Shall we see if it's still empty?" She asked, "We could sleep in there, rather than in Barnibus' crypt,"

"Er, I don't...know." I glanced up at the sky nervously as the clouds rolled in, the storm growing louder and more harsh, "Which is closer?"

"The crypt!" Molly called over the thunder, "Come on, sir, you'll catch something." She jumped into a jog and I was forced to follow her down the alleys and small roads towards the hillside and the trees. Molly vaulted over a gate and into the small field and disappeared into the woodland before I made it to the end of the road.

I finally caught up with her, panting hard with my hands on my knees at the gateway to a church's cemetery. "It's just over here, come on, calm yourself down before you go in, he hasn't heard a proper heartbeat in a while, it might make him a little...peckish."

"Peckish?!" I gasped as she dragged me between headstones and towards a small mausoleum, lightning cracked the sky in two as she pushed open the gate and stepped inside, me following her reluctantly. She knelt down and pulled a large flagstone up, revealing a small stairway down into the main crypt and gestured for me to follow her.

"Molly, may I ask if he's likely to kill me?"

"I don't think so, Barnibus is a softy at heart." Molly smiled over her shoulder at me and carried down into the crypt, flaming torches stood in sconces down the stairway and as the floor evened out to the large cell below I noted the many, many coffins and the three sarcophagi in the centre of the room. The central sarcophagi's lid was moved to one side and Molly skipped over to it happily, bag slapping against her legs as she stuck her head inside. She withdrew, a frown on her face, "That's odd, he's not here," I looked around nervously; he could be hiding in any of the corners.

"I thought we would need...light, little one." came a rasping voice from behind me as a great light illuminated the cell and showed a tall figure standing behind me, my shadow visibly quaking. I jumped, "You've never brought me...a meal before, how kind,"

"No, no, Barney, this is Izcarius, he's a friend of mine." I slowly turned around to see an animated corpse standing before me, one eye missing and the other half-hidden behind a mop of mousy brown hair, his gash of a mouth turned into a smile, revealing two fangs and that was it—no human teeth at all! I jumped, a startled cry issuing from my lips as he clapped me on the shoulder, "Well...hello," he rasped, "You'll have to excuse...my...attire.." he wore ragged clothes that looked more suited to the early twentieth century than to the present, "I've been asleep for...quite some time—how long, Molly?"

"Only a year and a week or so, I came for your birthday—with presents," She grinned, setting the bag down on the lid of his sarcophagus and pulled out three bottles of wine. Barnibus showed off his fangs again in a smile, "You shouldn't have done...that, little one. I would hate for you...to...feel so drained...before a journey."

"Well, it will make you feel better and make it easier for my friend and me to talk to you—more so, Izcarius." Molly chuckled at seeing my nervousness.

"I did notice that he was a bit jumpy," Barnibus chuckled also, slowly shuffling towards the sarcophagus and taking one of the bottles in his hands. "There's...a lot in here, little one."

"All the more for you to enjoy," Molly smiled up at the corpse as if he was her father, and he rested his hand on her head and then brought her into an embrace like they were family. I was able, only just, mind, to keep the disgust from my face but not from my heart; my stomach flipped over as I watched the two monsters "love" each other—monsters cannot love!

"So, will you sit down...while I...drink?" He seemed to become more out of breath just thinking about the blood and it made me want to be sick. Molly nodded, disappearing down to the end of the cell, past the walls holding dozens of coffins, and came back with two chairs and then returned to the other end of the room and appeared again with a table.

Barnibus sat on his sarcophagus while Molly and I sat on the chairs, the three bottles of blood stood on the table before us and the light from the torches and the basin filled with pitch was just enough to show that each one was filled to the neck! "That was a bit too much blood, Molly, you should have asked me to take it for you—I wouldn't have taken so much." No doubt that Vampire had drained her so relentlessly- how disgusting those creatures were. Images of Alucard taking gulps form the bottles and sharing his own blood with Molly popped into my head and made me want to wretch.

"I always fill them to the neck, though usually I only do one or two, but this year is special."

"Is it?" Barnibus asked, pulling the bottle from his lips, his voice returning to silky tones, his skin rippling with his hair, a electric blue glow appearing in his empty socket, "There you are, the old eye is returning." He chuckled.

"It's special because I am happy and because I needed to return the favour for letting me rest with you." Barnibus smiled friendlily and shrugged.

"Only for my little Molly." he carried on drinking the blood, his skin returning to its youthful lustre, muscles slowly building themselves back up and his dull hair shining pleasantly.

"Is that what happens when a vampire ingests your blood, Molly?" Molly nodded.

"It's like medicine," She smiled happily as Barnibus finished the first bottle and stretched happily.

"Well, I feel _so_ much better, come on, little one, let's have a duel." Molly snorted.

"Sit back down, you over-sized child," Barnibus sat back down, crossing his legs and leaning in to the table, his breathing stinking of Molly's blood, but she didn't seem bothered by it.

"So, Mister Izcarius, what do you do? Are you a demon? A fighter of Darkness like my Molly? What are your intentions for my little one?" I blinked.

"I am a doctor, sir, I work for Hellsing and I'm not sure what you mean by intentions,"

"I mean are you going to love her, care for her—"

"Barnibus, err," Molly spoke in French to him, and I sat back, still fidgeting, suddenly I wished I had taken that rotten language.

_"Ah! Bonne, bonne. _So, you are not Molly's lover? Or boyfriend?" I shook my head.

"No, sir, I am a friend." Barnibus turned to the next bottle uncorking it and guzzling it hungrily, he stopped suddenly.

"You work for Hellsing? You are a doctor?" His body swelled and he stood up slowly, his brown eyes taking on an angry gleam, they turned red with anger and blood-lust, "Have you been testing my little one?" he roared, his voice echoing and bouncing off the walls. "You scu—" Molly jumped in front of me as Barnibus raised his arm, now rippling with muscles.

"Barnibus, please, calm down, I am happy. I work for Hellsing at the moment and I _asked _for him to test me, and he has told me a lot." Molly stepped forwards and led him to her seat, sitting him down, "I'm sure you two will get on well, Izzy is a good friend."

"Fine," the corpse snapped, "So, you work for Them now? Have you killed any of my kind, Molly?" He asked this almost mournfully.

"No, only those experiments that call themselves vampires. Alucard and I rip them apart, make them wish they were never created,"

"Alucard? Hellsing's top assassin?" Molly nodded, Barnibus smiled, "I would have liked to have met him, Molly, he sounds quite...interesting."

"I asked if he would like to come, unfortunately we had a fight and walking down here with Alucard when he's throwing his toys out of the pram wouldn't have been very comfortable." Barnibus burst out laughing.

"Does he know you refer to him as a child?"

"No, but I only say that because he was being such a...man." Barnibus chuckled, sipping from the bottle.

"I have some news of my own, Molly, though you may be sad to know that your mother's body is gone." Molly did a double-take.

"What?"

"I checked on her just after you left, she's gone, I think your blood was not enough to keep her in a limbo, she's passed on to the other world," he guzzled the final drop of blood from the bottle and took the third bottle, depositing it in his sarcophagus.

"Oh," Molly leant against the old tomb, arms folded, "you'd think I'd be more upset, wouldn't you?"

"Not really, you've done your crying." Molly shrugged.

"I suppose. But I was hoping to see her again, one day—maybe ten years from now, but...still."

The monsters conversed for an hour or so about the past, I was rarely called into the conversation, until the pair returned to the present where we talked about literature and everything intelligible.

"Barnibus, may I ask you something?" I asked after another hour or so.

"You may,"

"Are Molly's father?" Barnibus burst out laughing, Molly chuckling quietly on the sarcophagus.

"No, I am not, but I'd like to think that she looks to me like her father." They exchanged smiles.

"Who was my father, Barney?" Barnibus' smile slipped from his face, his eyes serious as he looked at her almost pityingly.

"Are you sure you want to know that, Molly?"

"Yes, I am."

"Okay," he thought for a moment, sucking his eye-teeth thoughtfully, "Your mother was sixteen when she met him, at that time he went by the name Pierre La Guerrier. He was, supposedly, thirty—there was quite an age difference—and he was one of the King's generals and they met briefly at a market in Paris. After that they continued to just bump into each other, destiny seemed to bring them together in the end, and when she was seventeen she was one of his maids and they got on well. A romance ensued and you were conceived, Pierre was exiled from France after some talk of him being into witchcraft—and for once people got it right. Pierre was in fact a demon."

Oh, so that was it, she was, in actual fact, part demon! That was why she was such a monster!

"Usually demons of his type are not attracted by humans, but several hundred years before one of Beatrice's ancestors was set upon by an incubus and the whole bloodline was tainted—and everyone knows that once a family is tainted with an incubus' touch, they will forever be tainted. Anyway, after that your mother was forced to live in squalors—she couldn't get work for some reason—and she did not know she was pregnant either. A vampire smelt her—the mixture of her own tainted blood and that Demon's seed seemed to draw vampires to her—and she was bitten."

"But, she shouldn't have turned." I interjected, Barnibus shrugged.

"I think she may have tasted Pierre's blood at some point, that or it was Molly that sustained her enough to allow the change instead of a ghoulish existence. Either way, she was turned, but in her dead state it took you that much longer to develop—two years in fact—and then you were born, she didn't know what to do. She found a fellow vampire, Paris, to help her, but Paris was no good for her—that's how we met, your mother and I." Molly nodded slowly.

"So I'm partially demon?" Barnibus nodded, "Is my father dead?" Barnibus laughed, shaking his head.

"No, little one, he is very much alive, but not in this world anymore."

"Oh," Molly seemed downcast her lips turned down at the corner and her shoulders slouched.

"But, of course, you could summon him, though I'm not sure what he would do should you call him now." Barnibus laughed, "He had no idea your mother was pregnant in the first place—he had no idea her family was tainted, and it is only tainted families that can bare a demon's child, save an incubi's."

"Would he kill me?" Molly asked.

"He's a demon, like I know the workings of those beasts, I am the majestic vampire." he grinned, showing his fangs again, I wished he'd stop doing that. "So, will you be sleeping down here for this evening?" Wind still whistled down the stairs, signaling that the storm was still waging its war against the coast.

"Might as well," Molly shrugged, "though, Izzy would be a little put off sleeping down here all night with a load of vampires around."

"A load?!" I shrieked, she nodded, chuckling.

"Why else would there be so many coffins around here? Most of the inhabitants are vampires,"

"I-I-I...maybe we should see if your old hotel is inhabitable," Molly chuckled again.

"Okay, sleep well; Barney," Molly kissed the top of his head, "We'll be back tomorrow, okay?" He nodded, yawning.

"I'm not used to all this company, sleep well, pet." He climbed into his sarcophagus and called, "I don't suppose you could extinguish that light, there's a bucket of water around somewhere." The lid slid closed and Molly set about putting out the large fire, I could feel the air growing thin.

"Come on, Doctor." Molly led the way up the stairs, the torches lighting to way to freedom.

So Molly was partially demon, she was a monster, her friends were monsters. Though, even through all that I still wanted her, she could be quite fun—and all that information I sent to Merris, no doubt I'll go down in history for the biggest occult finding in centuries!

**A/N: Hello again! How did you like that chapter? Now we know Molly's origins! and so does alucard ! :D in't it greeeat?! She's old, Jesus is she old :P Though nowhere near as old as Alucard, obviously. I'm glad everyone is all happy with this fanfiction, and I can't wait to hear from you all! Review my lovelies- reviieeeeeeeeeeeew! **

**YOU ALL ROCK! air guitar moment **


	19. Never Trust Italians Bearing Gifts

**Chapter 19**

**Alucard**

**A/N: thank you all for your rockin' reviews! XD you know I love hearing from you! But I would like to point out that Molly isn't completely crazy...defensive glare ok..she is a little...just a little though :P:P **

**Just quickly: someone wondered what it would've been like if Alucard had gone with Molly instead of FAUST (RAAAGH! I hate him...I hate my own creation sob sob) ahem anyway, it would go something like this (bare in mind this is harmless fun and not conclusive to the plotline):**

"Is that what happens when a vampire ingests your blood, Molly?" Molly nodded, still smiling brightly.

"It's like medicine," I could understand that, such a taste only professed its healing qualities. Watching Barnibus devouring her blood so freely made me yearn for it all the more, to taste it and feel the rejuvenating sensations coursing through my veins. She smiled happily as Barnibus finished the first bottle and stretched happily.

"Well, I feel _so_ much better, come on, little one, let's have a duel," Molly snorted.

"Sit back down, you over-sized child," Barnibus sat back down, crossing his legs and leaning in to the table, his breathing heavy with the scent of Molly's blood, disgusting but so enticing.

"So, sir, what do you do? Are you a demon? A fighter of Darkness, like my Molly? What are your intentions for my little one?" I laughed.

"Intentions?"

"Yes, I would like to know what my Molly's new boyfriend intends to do with her, whether his intentions are honourable or dishonourable," I smirked at seeing Molly's eyes widen, a smile broke out on her face and she burst out laughing, the laughter was cut short and she shouted at him in French for a moment, Barnibus putting his hands up in defence. "How was I supposed to know? You come in with a man and expect me not to get the wrong end of the stick?"

"No, I expect you not to make your own conclusions!" Molly snapped, sitting down, cheeks bright red with a blush of embarrassment.

"Is there something wrong with the idea of dating me?" I asked, feigning hurt. Molly looked up and blinked rapidly.

"No..I...just...no...he...You're...and I'm...I don't..." Barnibus seemed to catch on to my little prank faster than Molly and sniggered like a young boy. "You're teasing me aren't you? You wicked fiend!" She crossed her arms and pouted into a sulk. "I ought to ignore you from now on!"

"Funny, you said that earlier as well; and here we are talking like friends," Barnibus watched us both.

"So, who are you?"

"I'm Alucard, I work for Hellsing with Molly," Barnibus raised an eyebrow as a smile spread across his boyish face, he leant towards Molly and nudged her, whispering in French.

"Oh, alors!" Molly covered her ears, cheeks still blushing. It was quite refreshing to see her in a family situation, for some reason I had never thought of her as able to converse this freely with anyone- not even in her new, altered and child-like state.

**A/N: There you are, that is how it would've happened...or something to that effect. :D Enjoy? Anyway, back on the floopin' plot! By the way, don't hate me for the Anderson accent...I suck at any accent except french and german XD zough I have not tried out my german accent yet, vhat do you zink? (suckish? yep, thought so) anywho- YATSEE!**

The car was thick with smoke as Integra chain-smoked her cigars, the sinews over her knuckles bulging as she clenched her fist tightly. _That pig, that pig, that pig! What does he want now? I don't see why I have to go anywhere near that scheming, disgusting, slimy bastard anyway! The only news that disgusting pig brings is bad news! And that is something I do not need right now! _

I was glad Molly wasn't here, no doubt Integra would have liked for her to meet Maxwell, and there was no doubt Molly would have curled by the door in disgust with her head hanging out of the window. "At least he asked to meet in the evening this time." Integra glared at me through the smoke from her sixth? Ninth? Cigar.

"Like that makes any difference!" She spat vehemently, "That bastard will still be gloating like some...I can't even think of any fitting adjectives!"

"Arrogant and bastard would be fitting."

"Mmm, why isn't Molly here?"

"She went to see her friend, Barnibus; it's his birthday, apparently."

"She took Izzy with her, those two seem to be becoming quite close."

I clenched my fists as rage boiled in my blood; "You and Molly had a fight, didn't you?"

"Yes, we did," I answered tersely.

"About?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, if it affects your work—which I sincerely hope it doesn't—then yes," Integra exhaled more smoke into the car, her mind still buzzing with worry about this meeting with Maxwell.

"Why would it affect mine or Molly's work? It was just a disagreement."

"Yes, but was it more like 'Frankenstein could win in a fight against Count Dracula' or 'You're a complete bastard and I hate you'?"

"Neither. In case you haven't noticed, Molly has changed a lot in the last few weeks, and we had an argument about her change: whether it was better for her or worse." Integra pinched the bridge of her nose in agitation as another of her migraines came back—these had also been appearing more frequently due to the constant nagging concerns and worries.

"You preferred her when she was more...aloof, I take it?"

"Of course, especially with that bastard Faust skulking around trying everything he can to take samples from her"

"He's doing his job,"

"You don't hear what he thinks about her." Rage started to coil inside of me again, how I wanted to rip that squirming, sniveling weasel apart. I'd start with his hands; after all, what was a doctor or surgeon without his hands? Then, I'd work my way up to his shoulders, then I would rip off his legs and _persuade _him to tell Molly what it was he had been thinking since her arrival and turn of character. _Then_, perhaps Molly will realise _I _was right and _she _was wrong.

"He's curious, Alucard, all scientists have an inquisitive nature—that's why they study the human body so intently. No, I cannot hear what he thinks, but everyone has a right to their own thoughts, it's when he starts acting on them that I'll start to worry," _By then it could be too late_, I thought irately.

The car pulled up at the College Road Entrance car park outside Dulwich Park, where Maxwell had asked that we meet beside the boating lake over the boardwalk. The walk would be quite nice, Dulwich—last time I had seen it—was a pleasant expanse of parkland and from Southwark you could always get a clear view of the night sky. Though, it was strange that he would want to see us at night-time—when I was most likely to escort Integra to his little meeting—and he knew I did not agree with his nature and his little Scottish experiment Anderson, who would no doubt be standing at his side smirking as if he had ever won a battle against me.

Integra walked sure-footedly, smoking on her cigar as calmly as she could before meeting with the Italian, "Alucard?"

"Yes, Integra?"

"Do you find it strange that the sniveling coward would chance a meeting with us during the evening?" I smiled.

"Of course, this is a first and I can't wait to see what Maxwell has hidden up his sleeve that he seems so desperate to show us," Integra snorted in an unladylike fashion as we stepped onto the boardwalk, her step clunking against the wood as custom and mine silent with a predator's grace. Three figures stood by the boardwalk railing overlooking the silent and still waters of the boating lake, the central figure—plainly Maxwell—gesturing towards the trio of boats tethered to the boathouse and willows swooping over the black crystalloid water; the moon's leer reflecting in the waters as they shivered in anticipation of our conversation.

"Good evening, Integra, Alucard. Are there no others with you?" _As if there would be, pig, _Integra answered mentally as I stifled a smirk. As we drew closer I was able to see the smaller figure of the three strapped into a straitjacket, some kind of muzzle strapped to his lower jaw—which looked incredibly like a homage to 'Silence of the Lambs'. He started to trembled and his muffled cries of fear were salient in the silence of the night as he struggled against his bonds at seeing me, I smiled, Maxwell had never brought a present before.

"I brought the vampire a chew-toy, I hope you don't mind." Came the sickening Italian accent.

"Stop with the charade, Maxwell, get on with whatever it is that you want to talk about." Maxwell smiled, faking friendliness.

Integra stubbed her cigar out on the railing and sighed exasperatedly as he carried on, "I just want to talk, to chat—we don't talk enough," He chuckled, "Especially at the moment, I think it may be because you are so rushed off your feet at the moment if some of _your _vampire problem leaks into Vatican territory." Anderson smirked at me, _The freak o' nature haes finally fallen_.

Integra scoffed disbelievingly, "We're handling our problem, you have nothing to worry about, Maxwell."

"But I do, Integra, this is just one of the many problems we've found in the capital itself—and apparently its friends are all over the place, doing exactly as she was." Integra glared at Maxwell, still not believing what he was saying.

"Ye don believe us dae ye?" Anderson shrugged, grabbing the trembling and struggling figure by its hair and pulled the muzzle down, undoing a gag, "Talk ye vile creature,"

"I-I-I-..." She looked at me, one eye large than the other and both mismatched, her mouth was a twisted mess and she was balding, Anderson was right in calling this one a creature; she looked barely capable of wiping her nose let alone _killing_ anyone. "I...did...good? Yeah? Yeah?" Her eyes roamed hyperactively and at every move Anderson made she flinched and jumped to one side. "Hehe..." She cackled maniacally, bouncing on her feet. I glanced to my side down at Integra, whose lip had curled in disgust and irritation.

"Dae ye believe us now, heretic?" Anderson smirked triumphantly, gagging the creature up again and tying the muzzle around her jaw tightly, the freak tried bouncing away from him, obviously not happy with being fettered.

"And what do you want us to do with _that_?" Integra sneered, fists shaking at her side.

"Interrogate it, perhaps, we couldn't get anything out of it, but we've heard your methods get results,"

"Why are you helping us, Maxwell?" Integra's voiced was edgy and suspicious; her eyes taking in Maxwell's triumphant leer for any signs of a trap or trick.

"If you get rid of your problem our problem will go away as well. At the moment our time is taken up with destroying these things."

"And 'things' is wha' thae are, thae are easily beaten and culled. Thae are mere fools and tak up m' time when ae could be cullin' something more interesting. Thon yin was aboot the only yin thon we could interrogate, all thae oothers couldn't even speak! Sae, ae thoot ye might like it as a wee gift- something thae might challenge ye—maybe then m' time could be spent wit' more of a challenge," I snarled, my hand itching for my gun.

"Certainly, I know I'm finding it rather annoying looking up at the television and finding that _more _pregnant women have gone missing, my annoyance is only doubled by the fact that it's your mess and we're cleaning it up! You protestants have always been useless—"

"You pig, Maxwell! My accomplishments far outweigh yours! You supposedly fight monsters single-handedly—but who was it that fought Millennium? You make me sick!" Integra's eyes flashed behind her circular glasses. "I don't have to listen to anymore of this, _thank you_ for your _gift, _Maxwell." The head of Iscariot smiled falsely.

"_My pleasure._" The space between, which had so far remained a no-man's land, was closed by the Judas Priest escorting the fidgeting thing to us by her hair.

"Ae said thon next time ae'll kill ye, filth," Anderson's eyes narrowed as he continued, "but ae have been ordered not tae bother wit' te likes of ye." I smirked.

"It's only in your best interest, Anderson, we wouldn't want you to get hurt now, would we?" Anderson shoved the creature towards me, sneering as he turned his back on me and returned to his master's side. Integra and I turned back and started to walk to the car, my grip on the creature's shoulder unrelenting. "Shall we interrogate her as soon as possible?" I asked, looking forward to sinking my teeth into something—no matter how disgusting they looked.

"I don't think it would be wise to do it in the open, or in the car, for that matter. It would be best to wait until we are back at the Manor," The creature wriggled against my grip, humming like a lunatic to try and calm herself down. "There is a possibility, in her...crazed state, that she may talk of her own accord—then we may also be able to run some tests on her, find the chip and see if it's old technology from Millennium. If it is, it would be best to track down the old batch and destroy them before the technology falls into the wrong hands."

Though the thing was quite annoying, I couldn't help but smile at seeing her mismatched eyes widen at seeing the interior of the Rolls Royce, she bounced on the seats excitedly and started to relax, as a fool or simpleton would. "Do you think she even understands us?" Integra asked as she started on her new cigar with less enthusiasm- obviously much calmer after the meeting.

"Maybe, though she didn't seem to bat an eyelid when we mentioned interrogation." She turned her head to look at me and made a noise that sounded a cross between a laugh and a scream, Integra flinched.

"Perhaps it would have been wiser to just get it over and done with in the park." She slipped off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose again as the noise carried on, "Shut up!" She ordered, the creature nodded and fell silent, Integra raised a surprised eyebrow, "A coincidence, maybe?"

The car rolled through the gates lazily, tyres squelching against wet gravel after the wet day and two figures appeared alongside the car, one recognisably Molly, she glanced towards the car and then made a point of looking away. _How childish she had become in the last week_, I thought furiously.

The car pulled up outside the front doors, where Molly and Faust had already taken off their muddy, sodden boots and started towards the door.

"I didn't expect you back for a few more days." Integra called as she got out of the car first, the fidgety creature following after her, it stopped dead at the car-door and started shrieking, Molly covered her ears.

"We were quicker than I thought we would be, I usually rest with Barnibus for a week, but, because of our human company, we decided that two days was enough." Molly called; Faust disappeared through the doors at seeing me. Molly held the door open for Integra and Walter, while I gripped onto the freaks shoulders and held her still, "What is she? Some kind of banshee?" Molly slipped her boots back on and trudged across the sodden gravel, overcoat billowing about her ankles as a cold breeze broke free of the trees past the gates.

"No, a freak,"

"Looks more like a mania—is she in a straitjacket?" I glanced over my shoulder as Molly stood stock still. "I hate straitjackets, oh do let her out of it, they are so uncomfortable and horrible!" I frowned.

"If you would like her to be set lose into the wild I think that my argument of your naivety is well justified." Molly frowned, returning to her calm pace, boots loose around her ankles and shuffling across the gravel.

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you, Alucard. You're a big, strong boy you could handle a little girl without one of those silly things, couldn't you?" I tensed at her derogatory tone, she seemed to realise she was enraging me and rested her hand on my arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," I shrugged, finally deciding to unbuckle the muzzle and un-gag the monster wriggling in my grasp, eyes wide with hunger at seeing Molly.

"So, what are we doing with her?"

"I'm interrogating her."

"I don't think she can speak." Molly tipped her head to one side, taking off her top-hat to shake off the water in the rim. I grinned, showing off my teeth.

"She doesn't need to," Molly snorted.

"Hyuh! Nyuh! Mo-mo! I did. I did." The creature bobbed up and down. Molly patted her head and ruffled what remained of her hair.

"I don't know, she seems quite cute." Molly grinned, "sit!" She commanded playfully, surprised as she dropped onto her backside in the wet gravel and looked up at Molly obediently. "That was...somewhat... bizarre," Molly whispered, "You try it," I grinned sadistically.

"Bark," The freak barked loudly, the noise uncannily like a dog's. "Stand, jump." I commanded and she did as I told her each time, "strangle yourself," she looked at me sadly and brought her hands to her neck and started to squeeze, visibly turning blue.

"Stop!" Molly interjected, frowning at me, though unfortunately giving away that she was actually quite amused. "This could be fun," Molly circled the creature as the creature panted happily, hand on her chin, "talk,"

"Freak, freak, monster, creature of darkness! stars! trees!—Mo-mo!" She nodded enthusiastically, fidgeting just as she had before.

"And Iscariot didn't figure this out?" I mused aloud, "Answer our questions, what are you?"

"Me is creature, me is freak, me is thing in a box!" She exclaimed happily, distorted face twisting into a smile.

"Who are you?" Molly asked.

"Me is Frell," Molly elevated her eyebrows, glancing at me, mouthing 'Frell?' Molly rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Frell seemed confused by this question; she bowed her head and scratched at her own face before answering:

"I am told to do."

"What have you been ordered to do?" I asked.

"Find smelly ladies," Frell laughed. Molly looked at the little creature like she was scum. "Smelly ladies with fat! Big, fat smelly ladies!"

"Okay, be quiet...Frell," Molly looked at me, "What in god's name is she talking about?"

"Well, I suppose she could be talking about pregnant women, they do have a vague scent to them, but it's so vague no vampire really notices it."

"Frell, why do you find...smelly fat ladies?"

"To collect them! Little ornament on my wall- in boxes! Big shiny boxes! Thas what me does!"

"Who for?" Frell shook her head vigorously, clawing her face once again, droplet of blood oozing out of the little welts.

"Me was commanded to not say, me can't say! No-no! Mo-Mo!"

"What did he look like?"

"Me can't remember, he was scary- so dark, so cold, he gave me toys! Lots of toys! And now I have to get him toys! I get him smelly fat ladies to play with!" Molly paled.

"This is eerie and unnatural; would it be better if you just interrogated her yourself?" I shrugged.

"I was having fun, but, I suppose my way is even more fun." I grinned and Frell shrieked, and made to run, I quickly caught her and scooped her up in my arms, biting into her neck and relishing the feel of her twitching and fidgeting and the feel of the blood as it washed down my throat and into my stomach, my body warming to the new meal. Her thoughts were disjointed and jumpy—much like her mannerisms—and only came in quick flashes, she could only remember incidents that were around the time she she had been commanded to do something, everything else was black; she couldn't really understand anything else other than commands, which was odd.

I looked over to Molly as the blood carried on gushing; she seemed indifferent at first and then intrigued as the blue light spun around us. Frell shivered in my arms as the last morsel of her blood dripped down onto my tongue and I dropped her body unceremoniously to the ground. The mess did not turn to ash, nor did it remain still, quickly she started to move again and I looked on in amazement as she stood back up, eyes shrunken in her sockets and bones easily visible protruding through her translucent skin, veins likes ropes across her flesh.

"What is she? She can't be a freak!" Molly exclaimed, quickly appearing at her side and looking into her eyes.

"Mo-mo," Frell sobbed, tears dripping down her white, hollowed cheeks, she shuffled closer to Molly and rested her head in the crook of her neck.

"Why don't you die, Frell?" Molly asked, wiping tears from her face, she shook her head and started to gauge out her eyes, screaming in agony. "Frell, stop it!" Molly wrenched her hands away from her red and swollen eyes. This creature had lived through being drained to death, she still stood—swaying, but standing—before us, completely brainwashed into obeying our every command.

"Frell is a wind up toy! You didn't wind me down," She sobbed, "Toy-maker didn't wind me down,"

"Red, what are we going to do with her?" I sneered.

"Lock her in one of the dungeons and hope she dies of starvation." Molly frowned.

"But she didn't ask to be like this, did you?"

"No-no, me just woke up, Mo-Mo,"

"What do you eat?"

"Me is eat toys, meat and boones,"

"Boones?"

"Boones! Crunch-crunch!" She showed her large teeth, one side completely flat like flagstones and the other pointed and as deadly as my own.

"Ooh! Bones! Well, maybe...Frell, could you go to sleep?" Frell nodded and fell backwards onto the gravel, already snoring. "Red?"

"What?" I asked dubiously, Molly's eyes went round and shiny.

"Could we keep her? She might come in useful—"

"You really have lost your mind."

"No, I haven't," She crossed her arms angrily, "it's just common sense, she's been made to obey, we could use her."

"Yes, we could extricate her insides and figure out what the hell she is." Molly bent down and lifted Frell up like doll, holding her in her arms and rocking her slightly. "Molly, put her down and I'll kill her, she won't wake up—you commanded that she sleep." I pulled my trusty jackal from my duster and paused, seeing the disapproving look on Molly's face. "You can't be serious?" I sneered.

"I'm being perfectly serious," Molly walked past me and through the open front door; I quickly caught up with her, my boots squeaking on the freshly cleaned tiled foyer. I followed her up the stairs and towards Integra's office. "Integra will think you've gone mad too, Blue, just give that creature to me and let me deal with her." Molly ignored me and angled her body towards the door, just able to knock before entering.

"Molly, what a ni- what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Molly had done it already, she had vexed her. Integra stood up at her desk, hands on desk, and she gnawed on her cigar so hard that it started to droop.

"We've discovered something you may find interesting," Molly said, smiling, "look—this will amuse you, sir, honestly," She laid the creature on the floor gently, "Wake up, Frell and spin around for me," Frell woke up and stood up, spinning around angelically.

"What is the meaning of this, Molly? What do you think you're doing, bringing a monster in here?" Molly fumed silently for a moment as Frell carried on spinning around, swaying backwards and forwards as she became dizzy.

"Alucard has already done the interrogation and she lived—see? Look, she's really obedient and sweet! A little...weird, maybe, but really sweet! And she doesn't drink blood! She eats meat!" Molly smiled again; "Oh, Frell, you can stop that now," Frell stopped and fell over backwards onto the carpet.

"Thank you, kindly lady," she panted from her lying position on the floor.

"What do you mean? She—Alucard, what's going on?" I sighed.

"Molly is completely deranged—though telling the truth—the creature lived and _does_ do as she is told, she even strangled herself when ordered to,"

"Well, kindly kill it then." Frell sat at slowly, eyes glazing.

"Why should I die? It isn't fair that you scum get to walk around while I die!" She sneered, she fidgeted, "Why is it that we who look weak are always killed? It isn't fair!" Molly edged towards Frell as she started to writhe.

"Frell, what's wrong, are you in pain?" Molly knelt down beside her, Frell's hand bent into a claw-like shape and she swiped at Molly's face, a single bead of bluish blood dripping down her cheek and chin. "Toy-maker doesn't like me anymore, why unwinding me?" She stopped and slowly fell back onto the carpet; eyes open as she became motionless.

"Frell? Wake up," The deformed creature did not move and I noticed that the only slight light in her eyes had gone, she was dead—_Finally, _I thought exasperatedly. "She could have been useful," Molly sighed and looked up to see the rage bright in Integra's eyes, she seemed completely demonic as she spoke quietly, "Stand up, Molly," Molly frowned, slowly returning to her feet, "Your methods are unorthodox and I have put up with them up until now—"

"That creature could've helpe—"

"Don't interrupt me, Molly!" Integra shouted, "take that creature and dispose of it, immediately!" Molly seemed to swell.

"You want me to _burn_ _his_ body?" She asked; her voice cold and edged with ice and calculated anger. Integra frowned, but continued.

"Yes! Get rid of the body! You have been working with us for a month, and in that time you have not helped us with the main problem! You have turned into more of a hindrance than anything else!" Integra adjusted her glasses and calmed down, adding, "I would like you to know that you are on your first and final warning, Molly." Molly's lip curled slightly.

"I'll dispose of the body, now, then, Sir," She grabbed the useless body by the last remaining clump of hair and dragged her out of the room, the feet the final thing to disappear around the door. The air was still thick even after Molly's departure; Integra massaged her temples. _Perhaps I was a little too harsh, she was only trying to help after all, and the way she looked when I asked for her to get rid of the corpse—like I'd asked for her to murder her own family. _I hadn't noticed what Integra had seen in her eyes, but now, thinking back, I realised why she must have been so...upset.

Anais had once been asked to dispose of her lover's corpse by her master; her master had forced her to watch as the flames devoured the whole body and finally put itself out. I had read that chapter in her journal a night or two before; she had described it so horribly, how much it had hurt to stand and watch him disappear forever, how disgusted she felt with herself as she buried the final remains, how she had wanted to slit her own throat and join him.

"Did you find anything of value out from the creature?" Integra asked as she stepped around the large desk chair and stood in front of the window, her blond hair illuminated like a halo by the lights from the rooms below and the occasional glimpse of the moon, the grey clouds floating around with a promise of rain.

"Yes, her mind was warped, but not so warped that I couldn't understand any of it." I joined Integra, standing at her side as I watched the small figure of Molly drag the corpse through the garden by one leg and make her way through to the gate and onto the fields where I watched as she disappeared into the woodlands around the perimeter of the fields and brought back kindling and wood. "She can only remember what she has been ordered to do, anything else she forgets—she even forgot her interrogation at the Vatican except when one of the English gentlemen asked her to talk,"

"And what did you find out?"

"She remembers waking up in a laboratory, naked and cold, having someone order her to find pregnant women for him—she could not see her master, he was caught in darkness and moved around only when he knew she would be oblivious to anything. She remembers being taught what to smell, pregnant women—some visibly pregnant and some not—were stood before her in a large group with virgins and she had to sort them into groups accordingly. Her sense of smell was impeccable."

"She knew who to kidnap by their smell." Integra mused aloud, I carried on.

"She was also made to remember a certain smell, though I don't seem to be able to identify it, it is warped with her sense of smell and I've never smelt anything like it."

"What does it smell like?"

"Irresistible, delicious, it is blood—I know that much—but it's too good to exist for long around vampires and demons,"

"So, she and her….brothers and sister? Have all been taught to smell the difference between pregnant and virginal women and find whoever it is that smells so divine."

"Not only that but I saw what they do to the women caught: the creature saw the women having blood drained from their stomachs, they were awake and very much aware that their child was dying." The emotional torment they must have gone through would have been sufficient enough to have induced a premature birth, the way they had screamed and begged and prayed—it was so pathetic and morbid. "The virgins were drained sufficiently and then left to rest and then drained again, the pregnant women were taken away and made pregnant again or just killed."

"What would anyone want with a pregnant woman's blood?" I shrugged and watched as Molly stood over the little pyre she had made and lit a match, setting fire to the kindling around the creature's body. She dropped into a crouching position and watched as the flames devoured all that stood in their path, her shadow stretched across the field like an ominous snake, quivering as the flames danced.

Why would someone want that blood? Surely it would be repugnant; no-one had ever tasted it before….A thought hit me.

"Stem-cells," I mused aloud, "doctors are very keen on using the blood within the umbilical chord to extract the stem-cells for curing illnesses of all sorts: diabetes, curing liver and heart failure. Maybe the blood has the same healing or rejuvenating qualities as the stem-cells themselves." Integra turned and looked up at me, eyes wide behind her circular glasses.

"But, that would mean that vampires everywhere would be made stronger—the freaks would be stronger and there would be more of them….no one will be safe!" She threw herself into her chair and massaged her temples, "This will not do well for us, Maxwell would have a field day if that happened, it would mean anarchy! And you know how much I hate anarchy."

"You loathe and despise it."

"Exactly," She span around in her chair and glared at the door, _What the hell are we going to do? Where the bloody hell are these labs? That creature came a long way if she's based in England, and would have quite a task in smuggling the women over the boarders and back into England, which would only mean that there are more labs, possibly all over the continent and the UK! _"we need to find those labs, but how can we do that?"

"I don't know, Integra, but it would do us well to figure that out soon."

"You may go, Alucard, I need to think." _And have a strong drink. _

I nodded, excusing myself through the window and on to the patio below. I could see the orange of the funeral pyre beyond the trees, dancing excitedly as the spring breeze caught its fingers and shook them vigorously.

Molly didn't glance up as I stopped just behind her to her left, nor did she make conversation, she remained silent, her keen eyes entranced by the flames, the light turning her pupils to slits and her irises seemed to be white. We remained in silent repose for what felt like an hour but was only a few more minutes, I thought that she would be angry with Integra and myself for her being ordered to burn the creature; or perhaps she was so icy because I refused to be merciful.

"Have I been silly, my friend? Frivolous and juvenile like a child?" She asked from her crouching position, neatly balanced on her toes, legs spread slightly in such a way that her white skirt fell between her legs but revealed her well-built, milky-white thighs. It was then that I noticed the scars criss-crossing the inside of her legs, leading up…

"Silly? No. Frivolous? Maybe. Juvenile? Definitely. Though, that can't be helped, I've noticed that you get excited easily." I smirked as she glanced over her shoulder, a strand of that peculiar coloured hair caught over her nose, an annoyed frown creasing her forehead to be replaced with a sheepish smile. She returned to the fire that quickly devoured the already deformed corpse, the stink of burning flesh filling the air with the familiar heavy scent I related to death and destruction.

"Some people would find that endearing." She countered, her arms now resting on her legs, hands clasped as if to pray.

"Yes, _some,_" I answered moving closer to the fire as golden flames licked the blackened wood and charred bone, the hands of the smoke reached up to eclipse the moon and stars.

"Pray tell, how did you draw that rather presumptuous conclusion that I get excited easily?"

"I fight along-side you, it's hard for me not to notice as you go from bored to suddenly enjoying yourse-"

"I never enjoy killing!" Molly snapped, head snapping in my direction and contemptuous glare creasing her features.

"Well, even if you do—it doesn't matter to me—it is obvious you suffer from the occasional paroxysm." Molly snorted in reply, flinging a stick into the centre of the fire.

"Thank you for your diagnosis, Doctor."

"Speaking of doctors," Molly sighed exasperatedly, but I carried on, "As the two of you came into view I happened to notice you both seemed—"

"Yes, Red, we had an argument." Molly straightened up, returning to her feet, taking her hat off her head and toying with it in her hands. She observed me for a moment, "If I were to give you a haircut would it grow back?" _Oh, what a subtle change of subject, I didn't even see it coming! _

"Don't change the subject, Blue; but, yes, it would,"

"Pity," I glared at her, she seemed adamant in not being proved wrong. Her eyes flitted from the fire to the corners of her eyes and upon seeing my harsh expression of disbelief and annoyance she let out an annoyed sigh. "You're like a dog, Alucard, once you sink your teeth it you don't let your victim go." I scoffed in reply.

Her shoulders sagged and her mouth turned down at the corners more so than usual, her strange eyes taking on a melancholic gleam. "He may have said something—well, a few somethings."

"Such as?" Molly didn't answered, "Are you worried I'll say: 'I told you so!'?" She looked at me for a moment.

"He called me a monster, a creature, a disgusting parasite that lives off the lives of innocent mortals to reap a sick pleasure."

"I told you so." Nothing gave me greater satisfaction than being right; and the way Molly looked only heightened a sense of satisfaction. She should have taken my warnings seriously, she got off lightly, he only insulted her. He could have done so many other things to her.

Molly glared at me, "Well, what do you want me to say?"

"Hopefully: 'Don't worry, Blue, I'll force feed him his own tongue, then he'll think twice of saying such things again'." Molly's voice was throaty as she mimicked me, though her accent was completely off and I knew I did not sound anything like what she made me out to sound.

"Do I honestly sound like that?" Molly's eyes turned to slits and she put her hands on her hips.

"Well, excuse me if my voice is sweet and high like bird's song while yours deep and creepy at times,"

"My voice is creepy?" Her lips twisted into a coy smile.

"As beautiful and silky smooth as it is, yes. Yours is a voice that professes bad deeds and hidden secrets. A voice such as yours penetrating silence in a dark corridor is the equivalent of hearing a trained soldier sharpening his sword and slicing through your very own limbs. In light though, my friend, it is silky and as soft as your hair. In this light it is alright—well, no, the flames are throwing strange and ominous shadows over your face, as angelic as it is—" she took my arms and turned me away from the light. "There, you don't sound of look creepy anymore." We stood in silence for a moment, the crackling of the fire the only sound save the distant drone of the motorway.

Molly's lower lip pouted in thought and her pupils grew to large circles and then dilated into slits again, the faint pink tinge in the pale blue orb more apparent in this lighting. "So, will you?"

"Will I what?"

"Force feed him different parts of his body in order of importance and size—starting with his small manhood…" I was once a man as well, her continual thoughts of castration and manhood mutilation did annoy me after a while—though it had been a long while, a month to be exact.

"No," Molly folded her arms and sulked, "he has not _done_ anything to physically harm you. And Integra has made it clear that I cannot harm him until he acts upon his traitorous blood—as much as I hate it, I cannot punish him."

"Couldn't you just break his fingers, just this once?" Molly's eyes turned round and hopeful.

"No! As much as I would enjoy it, I can't—he's quite a useful asset to Hellsing," Molly sighed, though looked agitated and sulky, "Besides, he can't have hurt you that much with a few words. Would it really be worth breaking his fingers for referring to you as a monster? In all fairness, you aren't human; do you have any evidence to prove that you aren't a monster?" _Because I have plenty of evidence proving you are. _"And I doubt he said all that,"

"We were talking, I forget what about and he said 'It's alright for you monsters, you don't worry about hurting anyone but yourselves.' in such a casual manner that led me to believe he referred to me as a monster all the time. We were at the train station after he had complained about the long walk back home and he was about to pay for the tickets and said, 'Oh, I seem to be short a few pounds, I'm sure It will help me out—Molly, dearest?' –it!!" Molly began to pant angrily, fists balled up and her whole frame shaking with rage. "If you won't teach him a lesson, there's nothing stopping me from feeding him his flaccid phallus—"She turned around abruptly and started to storm towards the manor, I caught her arm and led her back to the fire.

"Molly, why do you always use such crude insults?"

"Because that is how you get through to a male." Molly snarled as I span her around towards the fire, firmly placing my hands on her shoulders so she couldn't try hurting the Doctor.

"What? Castrate them?"

"Mmm," she nodded eagerly, "That and it's fun—" she cleared her throat and fidgeted beneath my hands, she fell back into her crouching position, I looked down at her as she placed her top hat back on her head at its usual random angle. _So there is a sadist in Molly somewhere, one that seems to only take pleasure in punishing men—but a sadist nonetheless. _

"I was gone longer than usual." Molly's cold voice cut through the silence conversationally.

"That's what you get when you travel with a mortal, as despicable and freak-like as that mortal is, delays are common. I wish I'd gone with you."

"Looks like you were busy though," Molly commented, toying with a couple of daisies in the damp grass, her free hand moved to tug at her silver pendant restlessly.

"The meeting with Maxwell a few hours ago was the only interesting thing I've done all week."

"Unfortunate."

"My skills are wasted at the moment," I sighed, "But, I'm looking forward to the attack—when it does finally come." I paused as the flames died down and the breeze seemed to slowly put them out, a single droplet of rain pattered on my hat's rim, "And, of course, had I known that I would've gone with you, our journey would've gone that much quicker and we would've gotten back in time to escort Integra. No doubt you would've enjoyed meeting Anderson." An image popped into my head, Anderson and I stood exchanging insults and Molly appeared from nowhere and decapitated him, she had recently become very protective of her friends and master, Integra—though, was Integra her master, or just another friend? No doubt Molly would've impersonated him to infuriate him and of course it would be just as terrible as her impersonation of me.

"Anderson?"

"Yes, he's a regenerator and one of Iscariot's priests. Father Alexander Anderson, the paladin, if I'm going to be accurate," Molly would've hated him, I was sure of that, and that made me feel we had more things in common: a love of fighting, a need to punish, a certain amount of pleasure from punishing, we were both old and we both had first-hand experience of torture and pain that no mortal would be able to withstand now, when a broken bone was worthy of morphine and graze worthy of a bandage—of sorts. "Now, he sounds fun," Molly chuckled.

"Oh, he's quite the jester." I answered sarcastically.

"Barnibus sends his regards, by the way," Molly straightened up again and turned for the manor, I knew by the look in her eye what she wanted to do; immediately I anchored her to the ground. The nocturnal noises picked up some kind of beat and the air was filled with the night's orchestra, stars blinked from behind quilts of white cotton, wind whistled through the trees, an eerie singing accompanying the orchestra and the tree-tops wavered and swayed as if to dance. "For him to 'send his regards' _someone_ would have to have mentioned me first." Molly looked up at me, eyebrows raised, lips thin as she nodded slowly.

"Supposedly," She answered slowly.

"Nothing bad I hope?" Molly grinned wickedly.

"Why would I say anything bad about _you_, Alucard, you're just a big softie."

"You don't usually use sarcasm.,"

"You started it." Her eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Can I finish it?" She cocked her head to one side.

"Possibly," I let my arms drop; sure she wouldn't try cutting Izcarius into pieces.

The rain came down in a blanket, sudden and with a roar; the heavens opened for thunder and lighting to strike as they pleased, the flames were immediately doused and Molly motioned for me to follow her, "Come on, it's no weather for a vampire and his friend." We strode across the grass quickly, not bothering to run—rain did not hurt anyone—the mud and grass churning up underneath our feet.

"Alucard?"

"Yes, Blue?"

"Do you ever look at something and feel sad but can't remember why?" I glanced down at her, knowing full-well why she was sad and wondering whether I ever felt like that.

"No, I always remember why, but I don't really ever feel sad." Molly glanced up.

"Liar. During the day, I bet you think about all the things that have happened." I blinked.

"Occasionally, but I don't make a habit of it. Living in the past isn't healthy."

"But not having a past is equally as unhealthy." Molly's boots slapped against the wet paving slabs of the terrace steps and Molly held the door open for me. "Apres vous, monsieur,"

"Merci," The kitchen was empty, the only noise coming from the dull hum of the refrigerator and a new dishwasher. I wondered if reading the diary would help Molly remember everything, surely it would help not only her, but us as well if she could remember all that had happened to her—she would be wiser. "Molly, there is something I would like you to read, it is very helpful and entertaining." Molly appeared at my elbow, slinging her wet coat over her arm as a quizzical look knitted her brow. The white strappy t-shirt was wet and translucent against her skin, her chest almost completely visibly through the wet cotton, she needn't wear a bra after all.

"I'm not sure I have enough time for reading,"

"You'll enjoy it, I know you will. The first half is in French." Molly smiled.

"My reading seems to be getting rusty, I suppose I could read it." I smiled, taking off my sunglasses and slipping them inside my duster along with my hat, Molly looked at my hair. "Couldn't I just try and cut it?"

"If you want to lose your hands then go ahead." I answered coolly, roughly taking her shoulder and guiding her down the hall towards the library.

We paused at the glass cabinet, "I've never seen this cabinet before. What are all these books? They're all very old." As I slid the glass open Molly immediately laid her hand upon her own journal, fingering the buckle in such a way that, for a moment, I believed she remembered everything.

"These are old journals of medians and demons, this one is the most intriguing." I pulled the French volume off its stand and placed it in Molly's hands. "It's...interesting," Molly frowned at it and unbuckled it, glancing at a page or two before smiling up at me.

"Thank you, Red," She glanced at my hair again, "Not even a little trim?" I narrowed me eyes, wondering if perhaps I could hypnotize her out of her obsession.

"_**Cutting my hair will not get you anywhere, you don't want to do it**_" I commanded, my mind devouring hers for a few seconds, only just able to break through.

"Fine, if you are so protective of it that you would try to hypnotize me, then I will keep my scissors to myself. But—"

"No 'but's, Molly, my hair is my own, now go away." She frowned.

"Strange vampire," She muttered, making her way back to the library door, "He is a riddle in himself," only just audible. I was adamant that she read that volume; that she would remember. Why? Mainly because I wanted to jolt her out of her trusting self, to bring her back to reality—and surely her own misadventures would help do that.

**A/N: I wrote this while at my dad's house, I had to go through a lot of shit getting it back on this rust bucket and guess what- IM GETTING A BETTER AND NEWER (NO, NOT A TEN YEAR OLD THING LIKE THIS) COMPUTER ON THURSDAY! I was finally able to talk some sense into mother, who's argument was "it's perfectly fine, we'll get a new one when it doesn't work" which is madman's logic as, if it doesn't work, you can't copy your files from it onto a new computer. Ok...OW! burning legs! Anyway, I still have to pay for it myself, but meh, it'll mostly be mine anyway XD **

**Byeeee**

**Naughty lil-blood-sucker! I said not to read it! (she knows what I mean) sorry I'm not mentioning anyone else, I'm just really uncomfortable and this thing is burning my legs!!**

**B/N: Haha, I love the Alucard hair thing. Is there any way you could have her cut it in his sleep or something? That'd be hilarious.**

**A/N2: I was toying with the idea...I toyed with the idea of the swordfight and then I did it...Hmmmm, yeah! I'll do it muahahahahahaa! Alucard, my dangerous vampiric friend, watch out! Molly's about. **

**Thank you again marie! And remeber children, always review XD XD XD**

**have a good one!**


	20. I hate sunlight

Chapter- what

**Chapter- what? 20?? Wow! **

**Alucard (obviously!)**

**A/N: (but only quickly!) OMG! NEW COMPUTER! THE BETH HAS BOUNCED BACK! Yes, sireeeeee, I am writing now after three days of file transfers and conversions, I am just a little bit psycho- only a little bit though, eats bugs this thing is beautiful! I love my new laptop. :D how much you say? £478!! :O:O fecking amazing for a sony! I am sooooo happy, though annoyed; the Microsoft office is only a free trial ¬¬ as I****'v****e already said to Jen and possibly marie: "what is the point in that? It****'****s the main program on a computer!!" sigh but I****'****ve gotten over it now, I quite like the layout, it did my head in at first, but now I am happy. Hello to everyone again! I hoped everyone liked the last chapter reads reviews oh, you did? YES! Score one- Beth- score nil- Rachel! (my sister, sorry, she****'****s a pain in the arse!) I love that word "arse"**

**Hey, marie, did I ever tell you? You are totally rad! :D Yes, the Great Fish Squisher is in one hell of a good mood! **

**Now adding more notes a little while later after coming back from holiday times :P many things happened, my sister tried to drown me in apple juice, (She made me laugh while I was chugging a bottle- note to self: drowning is a no-no) other note to self: Kill Rachel in peanut butter (allergens! Muahahaaa!) Well, I think you all hate me at the moment, I haven't updated in two/three weeks, which is so cruel of me, and also rather masochistic (I end up adding things to plotlines and confusing myself if I****'****m given time to think about it.) **

**I also think I****'****m losing my writing flare ****: ( ****which would be tres tres TRES bad. I love writing, I love writing alucard, I love writing Molly, I just love writing….I just wish you could see things from my writing as I do when I****'****m actually typing, that annoys me. The fighting scenes are somewhat lacking compared to the way it happens in my mind: I can actually see Molly and Alucard fighting and dicing the bastards and it****'****s so beautiful compared to the stop-start bollocks I end up writing ¬¬ You****'****ll also notice I****'****m bad at writing everything that is going on around the action, I****'****ll focus on one aspect too long and then forget to focus on the main point. Aah well. **

**I wrote about three chapters while I was on holiday, so maybe you****'****ll forgive me, now I just have to type them up and update…which will take a while, but I****'****ll sort it out, don****'****t you worry. **

**Jen: Sorry my PMs (pms lol, personal messages!!) are so filled with typos, I CCed myself and saw the horrible typos in their hundreds so I apologise a lot! (hey, computer wants to put "apologize" which one do I put?) I****'****m still trying to get to grips with my new laptop, which is so beautiful (and efficient, that is the key thing: efficient!). **

**Didn****'****t I say this would be short? Jeeeesus, Beth, you can bang on about a load of bollocks! Anywho, let****'****s look past the bollocks and see some adventures! That sounds slightly wrong, doesn****'****t it? Meh, it isn****'****t meant to be wrong….mostly retard smile that makes my little sister laugh herself into a coma. **

**Oh, by the way, this is the ONE chapter I didn****'****t write while on holiday and is very short, in my pre-writing thinkings****….**

The spring weather had taken a turn for the worst, as was to be expected from the British climate. Rain cascaded down the red brickwork and pummeled the soaring Victorian windows with a storm's vigor. Though rain might have been thought a nuisance by most, it did have its advantages: the smell of a passing storm was calming. As the storm subsided and the plummeting rain drops turned to drizzle, the air smelt fresh and clean, the scents of spring flowers intertwined with the smell of dew and clung to the tiny puddle of rain upon the bowled leaves of oak trees. The smell of rainfall was just as pleasant and calming as the crisp smell of snowfall, it seems strange to think that rain and snow have a smell, that ice could give off a scent that immediately reminded me of days and nights spent playing in the snow with my brother and other children of our town. And it seemed that I only ever thought of those memories when snow fell or when rain pelted my hat and shoulders.

A simple image was conjured with rainfall: the dove flying back carrying an olive branch. Rain was cleansing, perhaps it was a way of reminding all of us below that one day we could all be washed away again, flash floods in hull last year was that dreaded reminder. I felt serene and calm, the change of weather coupled with the impending fight as Molly and I were talked through the recent attacks in Uplawmoor, Glasgow. I can't say I was particularly happy at being awakened early, but the approaching event dissipated the annoyance.

The village, uncannily similar to Cheddar, half an hour or so out of Glasgow had undergone attacks from the occult. I say "occult" as it would not just be freaks that we would have to deal with but also witches. Uplawmoor was a small farming community, youths within the town had no clubs to go to, no buses left or arrived at the town after nine so there was no way of getting back from parties in the city; so they had taken to having field parties. All farmers would be severely against parties amongst their crops, but it just so happened that there was five acres of abandoned field where they could party to their heart's content. There wasn't another house nearby, so the police wouldn't be called, the farmhouse and stables could be used how they pleased, it was the perfect place to "unwind".

Unfortunately, this also made perfect hunting ground for the common freak and maddened witch. The woodland surrounding the plot was perfect for staying undercover, perfect for killing innocent teenagers while they explored the woodlands.

"How stupid are youths nowadays? Do they not know how dangerous it is in the middle of nowhere!?" Molly shifted in her chair, crossing her arms, "Honestly, and the human race is supposed to be getting more advanced— lazier is more like it!" She snorted indignantly. My sunglasses acted as a shield against the sunlight, my skin tingled with the slight warmth of watery rays and not even the thick drapes pulled across halfway could deter Molly's discomfort.

Every now and then she would flinch away, blinking hard against the light even through mirrored sunglasses, her pupils dilated viciously and it didn't help that the wounds along her back were playing up again, her movement made it very uncomfortable for her. I found it fascinating how stab-wounds and bullet-holes seemed to annoy her rather than cause pain while shallow wounds along her back could cause her even the slightest discomfort. Perhaps it was the fact that her main arteries and veins weaved around her spine and with it all her most sensitive nerves. That was another thing that I found ironic: Molly wouldn't turn her back on a fight, she wouldn't flee, that much was clear, it was one of her principles but she also couldn't. To turn her back on the enemy would be to expose her Achilles' heel.

"Are you quite done, Molly?" Integra took of her circular glasses and cleaned the lenses with a cloth. She slid them back up onto her nose and observed us calmly as the sunlight shone off the silver rims.

"Sorry," Molly grumbled.

"Anyway," Integra continued, "thirty-five people were maliciously slaughtered; fourteen of the bodies are yet to be found, along with other teenagers that went missing during the course of a party beforehand. Altogether, fifty-nine people are believed dead and that's far too many to blame on freak drinking accidents and drunken brawls." Integra stood up and looked out of the window, _these attacks are so large, and how are we going to keep a lid on it this time? There are already news reports on it...we'll have to rig the autopsies, frame a murderer out of one of the human accomplices...so much work for this one case, especially when we could be focusing on the harvesting plans. _

"The only surviving witness states that the witches mesmerised her friends, made them kill their fellow party-goers, and used telekinesis to attack the teenagers. Miss Richardson can't remember exactly how many there were as so many of her own friends were attacking her as well, so we have no clear idea how many witches and freaks you'll be going up against. I do know that there will be a rather a lot of ghouls: around thirty,"

"Sweet and simple," Molly nodded her head slowly, reclining in the chair to jump forwards and clear her throat.

"How boring," Integra gave me an exasperated look as she cut off the end of her cigar and moved to light it.

"It's the first bit of action you've had in nine days; enjoy it while you can,"

"I thought you didn't approve of my enjoying the slaughter?" Integra blew smoke into the air, she observed me for a moment.

"I don't. But a bored sadistic vampire is far more annoying than a spent sadistic vampire," I scoffed.

"I don't think you've ever seen me spent, I'm never spent," I argued, Molly folded her arms a smirk playing on her burgundy lips.

"I'd like to see you spent, it sounds like quite a rarity compared to your almost boyish hyperactivity,"

"I'd hardly say I'm hyperactive," I scoffed for the second time this conversation; locking Molly in my gaze, her eyes glistened mischievously.

"Denial isn't becoming of a centuries old vampire," her lip turned at the corner into a half smile as she turned back to Integra who didn't look at all pleased with our usual friendly banter.

"Anyway," she continued, clearing her throat, "I'm asking that you take a handful of the mercenaries with you—"

"Mercenaries will get in our way. I need to stretch my wings and I have no need for those idiots getting in my way—things could get messy," Why would Integra ask for me to take the mercenaries? I could handle mesmerised teenagers wielding guns, ghouls, wannabe witches and freaks without even thinking about it! Molly seemed to be buzzing with excitement, which only meant that she felt she could handle it also—so why waste resources?

"They will not get in your w—"

"Do you think us completely incompetent?" Molly asked, raising her eyebrows in such a way that seemed to infuriate Integra more.

"No," she snapped in retort, "I don't, but I do think that your methods are messy!" Molly snorted, rolling her eyes, the curl of her lip showing a prominent fang. "Your stunt in Croydon attracted too much attention! A man stepped out on his patio to find his new paving slabs smeared with blood, his bistro set stained to buggary, ash all over his flower beds, blood smeared up his shed wall. Another family found a pair of eyes on their wall, along with hand floating in their pond," Integra's eyes darkened, her tone turned cold and she raised her eyebrows, _they may be evil blighters, but don__'__t punish the public with bits of freak spattered over their gardens. _

Molly sniffed, shuffling in her chair uncomfortably as her mental barriers faltered, _**even I know to clean up after myself, Molly, perhaps it**__**'**__**s best you stay here for this evening, I**__**'**__**d hate for Integra to feel more inclined to disliking you than she already does. **_

_Smug bastard! That was a one-off, I__'__m not usually so untidy, I wasn__'__t feeling myself—_

_**Now, you know I hate it when you get creative with the truth. We all know that is how they die; you prefer their deaths being messy. **_

_Yes, I do, but that doesn__'__t mean I enjoy it. _

_**I didn**__**'**__**t say you did. **_

"The men will be there to do any cleaning up, to keep you focused and to help with any surprise attacks."

"Freaks don't usually think ahead, Integra, they hunt, they kill, they leave—"

"'Eats, shoots and leaves.'" Molly nodded stiffly, only a fraction of a smile betraying her enjoyment of the prospect of an approaching fight.

"Either way, you're taking Pip and some of his men with you." Integra exhaled smoke into the air again, the smoke coiling in the air before dispersing in Molly's direction. She gagged, a visible shiver running up her spine.

"Fine, but they stay behind until they get our signal," I bargained.

"Fine. Now that that is sorted, I'm sending you up to Uplawmoor, there's enough fields around that we can get up there in one of the planes," Molly stood up and stepped back into the shadows, immediately relaxing but not taking off her sunglasses. I noticed the vague droplets of dark blue-black upon the back of the chair which could've been mistaken for ink and glanced Molly as she rubbed her eyes again, snarling slightly as her heart-rate increased.

"You've been very agitated recently, I hope I won't be expected to hold you down for the whole seventy-two hours this time," Molly's head snapped up and her eyes became round.

"You don't think it'll happen again, do you?"

"I don't know, you're supposed to know these things, not me," I stepped through the door, waiting as Molly followed me.

"I haven't been bitten though….unless…" Molly nibbled her lower lip, a deeper burgundy being called into the slightly swollen lower lip. "Have you….accidentally bitten me at all?" I blinked; she meant 'have you snuck up on me while I've been asleep and stolen blood from me?' How tactful she could be!

"You think I would be so underhand that I would sneak a bite? Don't flatter yourself, Blue/" She laughed dryly.

"Well, you wouldn't be the first to try and do things to me while I'm supposedly sleeping,"

"Ah," A sense of triumph rippled through my stomach; finally, the sneaky, underhand weasel had been found out, "would this be in reference to the young Doctor Faust?"

"Oh, don't act innocent with me! You know perfectly well it is, I can see it in that sadistic and victorious smirk of yours," Blue's pace quickened to keep in step with my longer strides.

"May I ask what he tried to do to you?" Tonight was going to be a good night, not only was the cat out of the bag with Faust's underhand schemes but I was going to be able to actually kill something tonight—_Fortune is smiling down upon me today_, I thought jubilantly.

"Well, you know I usually 'sleep' for a while if I haven't had anything to do all evening,"

"Yes, though I still don't know what you do while you 'sleep',"

"I _think,_ if it's any of your business. Anyway, there I was, 'sleeping', when I hear the door open, immediately I think it's Pip as he's been skulking around the Den a lot but I catch the scent of disinfectant and I got that vague feeling I get when I'm on the verge of remembering something. He starts muttering, well, humming tunelessly with the occasional: 'wealthy', 'historic figure', 'occult finding', 'experiment' and 'monster' falling in to the dull lyrics and then I feel the bastard checking for a pulse and then—oh, it infuriates me to think I let him _touch_ me in the first place!—he tries to take a blood sample, not that I haven't already given him one,"

"Oh, the bastard," I smirked, though tried to hide half of the jubilation that filled me; it wouldn't do our friendship any good if she knew how strongly this sense of "told you so" filled me.

"Fucking arsehole, more like," Molly wrinkled her nose in disgust, "I sit up and I ask: 'What do you think you're doing?' and the bugger carries on taking the sample, completely ignoring me. I'm not one for lying down and taking nonsense so I may have….tried to strangle him with his own tourniquet." I burst out laughing, the perfect image of Blue shaking Faust and tightening her grip on the tourniquet playing in my mind beautifully. Now, I would pay to see that.

"What did he do?"

"Choked out a pathetic apology and scuttled off to do some tests on the small sample that he was able to get."

"Perhaps you will listen to me next time I advise you to stay away from someone, Blue,"

"Mmm, I invited him to meet the remnants of my family, I allow him to do his damn tests but I drew the line at cervical smears and that is his way of getting back at me—by sneaking up on me and trying to drain the blood out of me."

"I wouldn't think anything of it; he's been trying that since you got here."

"What?" Molly spun around, falling over as her feet caught on the flowing drapes, the material tore and the hallway was immediately cast in a bright light as the sun escaped the clutches of the clouds and the drapes fell away. Molly snarled, her glasses fell off and bounced away and her pupils contracted into pin-prick holes. She screeched, clutching at her eyes and balling up as the sun's rays became brighter and then became faint as clouds rolled back in, but even with the lessened sunlight she was still in agony and incapable of moving.

I picked up the glasses in one hand while simultaneously gripping Molly around the waist and carrying her into a darker corner. Her heart beat thumped loudly in my ears as I reassured her that she was in darkness again, "Th-that's never happened before," Molly gasped, pushing herself up against the wall as her pupils contracted and dilated wildly, her hands busy with pushing hair out of her face, her fangs lengthened in her panicked state and I found myself calming her.

"Blue, calm down, the last thing I want is you losing control,"

"I never lose control…what…how…God, I still can't see. A good killing will set me straight." She muttered, finally able to see enough that she looked directly at me. She glanced over to the window; puzzlement darkened her features as she shivered. Molly pulled a face of distaste, she swallowed hard and started to fidget, hissing as she pulled herself away from the wall, droplets of her blood stained the paintwork and her clothes were slowly becoming a tapestry of black and blue blood.

"Blue, as much as it pains me to say it, maybe it's a good thing he took a blood sample, this way he'll be able to pick up on any changes that may have occurred recently,"

"You mean like last time, the change that happened last time?"

"Of course. Your wounds have opened up again, you're just as agitated and your sensitivity to light has increased."

"Oh, God, your right," Molly's face paled to the extremes, her features taking on a drawn, panicked look and her lower lip was so dark with her ferocious nibbling that I thought it might start to bleed. "The pain last time….I dealt with it, but _knowing _how much it will hurt this time….it's positively bloodcurdling."

"I suppose my services will be needed again?"

"Pain is capricious! I won't need any help, I'll just—"

"Lose your mind to the agony on your own in the dark?"

"Why can't I? That is the way illness was dealt with centuries ago, and pain comes with illness, both are capricious blighters but end eventually…whether it ends in death or not is a different matter,"

"You're being incredibly stupid. It's pride that stops you from going to doctors, not your lack of trust, and pride will kill you."

"I'd rather die proud than without dignity." Molly and I recommenced the walk to the fields, where the aircraft would be waiting for us.

"You can have dignity without pride, Blue." I was growing bored with this conversation, "Looking forward to ton—" Molly stopped short of the doorway, "What is it now?" I sighed.

"I don't suppose you have a spare hat in that coat of yours?" I gritted my teeth against the notion of hitting her; she used to be so much stronger, now she was reduced to dancing in the shadows.

"I don't suppose I do," I answered a coolly as I could, "What happened to yours?"

"Well, one is so stained with blood it would be both unsanitary and stupid to wear it in public; and the other fell afoul of Pip's derrière," I snorted in reply, sighed exasperatedly.

"Fine, wear mine,"

"Won't you burn?" Molly asked, mouth agape as I planted my hat on her head, the rim flopping in front of her eyes. I laughed.

"No, I'm not like Seras or any of the others, I'm a No-Life King, I could walk around shirtless if I wanted." Molly tittered, covering her mouth.

"You: walking around in swimming trunks! Now, I would pay through the nose to see that! So, why do you bother fighting at night, Red?"

"I may not burn in the sun, but that doesn't mean I like it, nighttime is so much more….pleasant,"

"And a better environment for hunting, I bet." Molly tried positioning the hat so the rim wouldn't flop in front of her eyes, flicking it with her fingers into a more horizontal angle only for it to fall again.

"Alucard! Molly!" Integra stood at the mouth of the entrance of the aircraft, hand on hip in a perfect pose of annoyance.

"Fine, come on," Molly took double steps to keep up with me, snarling as shards of light flitted around the side of her sunglasses and into her eyes.

"You'll feel better in the aircraft; the body's windows are tinted so a minimal amount of sunlight will get in,"

"For Seras' benefit, I guess?" Molly ducked into the plane and found a darkened corner to rest in. Pip sat down next to her and they started to talk while Molly knocked the rim of my hat out of her eyes repeatedly.

"Is she alright?" Integra asked, "It's not like her to be so skittish during the day,"

"That's exactly what I was thinking," I answered, my eyes falling on the small coffin which held Seras, she did not seem at all amused,_ Damn sunlight! They don't think I know what's going on, but I know perfectly well what's happening! They ship me around like cargo! When I get out of this darned box there's going to be hell to pay!_

_**I suppose I'll be the first on your blacklist? **_Seras' dark thoughts stopped short as she planned her revenge on each of us in turn. I smirked; Police Girl could be so obedient sometimes.

The trap shut and Molly appeared at my elbow, "Thank you for the hat," she whispered, stepping onto her toes to replace the hat on my head. The plane took off and Molly's balance faltered, and she stumbled into me as the hat slipped from her fingers.

"Sorry," she whispered, as I caught the hat inches from the ground and steadied her.

"Maybe it's time you had one of those 'sleeping' sessions of yours, Integra would hate it if you became sloppy."

"As would you," Molly shot back, darting past a few of the mercenaries to lie down on a bench beside Seras' coffin.

I wondered if she would ever tell me what she thought about; her moments of rest were so deep that she slipped into a limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness so surely her thoughts couldn't be very structured. Meditation seemed to be the perfect word to describe her 'sleeping' sessions, but whatever it was it seemed to rejuvenate her, bring her to a state of contentedness before or after a fight and brought goals in to focus.

Perhaps if Police Girl took up meditation she would be as single-minded and determined as Molly and perhaps she wouldn't sneak out of her coffin, take her mp3 player out of her pocket, pop the headphones in Molly's over-sensitive ears and play a loud guitar solo at maximum volume.

I rolled my eyes as Molly shot up with a scream and Seras burst into fits of laughter. Molly swore profusely in French and threw herself at Seras, Pip and a couple other mercenaries caught her and held her back as Seras tripped backwards over her coffin with an evil cackle. "Molly, I am so glad I'm ze only one 'oo can speak French, I zink everyone's ears would drop off." Molly ignored him and carried on swearing in a shrill shriek.

"Someone could have warned me!" She shouted, though only meaning to say it at a natural level. She stuck her pinky in her ear and rotated her jaw, "My ears will be ringing for hours, you swine!" Seras chuckled from a bench opposite the lethal looking female creature.

"I was getting' y' back for killin' my muffins!"

"You don't eat muffins! Muffins are poisonous to you! You don't even eat solids!"

"But that doesn't mean I don't like cookin!"

"I was cooking to actually feed someone—me!"

"Selfishness ain't pleasant." Seras sniffed, folding her arms with a sulky pout.

"Well, Miss Draculina, you're in for a _treat_ when we get back," Molly's voice was still a little too loud, but cold as her eyes turned to slits. "Alucard,"

"Mmm?"

"Don't think you're innocent in this, she's your fledgling, I would expect you to keep a leash on her,"

"I'm not a pet, Blue!" Seras shrieked.

"Will both of you shut the bloody hell up!" Integra shouted from the doorway to the cockpit, Molly and Seras glared daggers at each other but didn't say another word.

"We're only two hours away from Uplawmoor, and an hour and a half away from sunset, I don't need any fights starting up before this mission. Seras, Molly, I don't want you two screwing anything up," Integra's fist balled up and her eyes moved from Molly to Seras, "Right," She disappeared back into the cockpit.

"Molly, Seras, apologise," I ordered. Molly gave me a begrudging glare and muttered her apologies, Seras sniffed in reply.

"Apology accepted," She sighed.

"Erm, what about your apology?" Molly asked, she rotated her jaw again and focused on trying to get the ringing to stop.

"Fine. I'm _sorry_," _No I'm not, ha! The muffin slaughter is avenged! Seras: one. Molly: Nil. _Molly narrowed her eyes at Seras.

"I'm willing to ignore your sarcasm for the sake of our work."

"Good," The pair fell silent again, Seras mentally insulting Molly and Molly shaking in anger.

_Alucard, remind me to accidentally leave a few crucifixes on Seras' coffin. _

_**I don't want to get involved, thank you, Molly; I've seen what women can do to each other when they are pissed off. **_

Rain began to pelt the aircraft's body and the plane was buffeted by Scottish winds, the air within the plane took on a slightly sweeter smell of rainfall and I smirked in contentedness as the fight approached rapidly. I hadn't fought witches in years, it would be a pleasant experience—for me, at least—I could remember the last lot of witches that I fought against quite clearly. Not names and faces, but facial expressions and their voices, the way their mixed accents lilted as they begged for me let them live. That night had been good, it had rained then too…their hair wet and slick with blood and knotted with twigs and leaves as I dragged them back and finished them off. They had dared thought to capture noble vampires and drink from them in their weakened states. Of course I had to finish off those noble vampires as well, but, still, it had been fun toying with the seven women. I hoped tonight would be equally fun, if not more so.

**A/N: It's been ages, hasn't it? Well, there you are! And can I just say: Faithful, wickedly cool reviewers, YOU ROCK! And you would rock more if you leave another post-it note on my review board….you know you want to….just push that button and away you go! **

**Marie, thank you again for being so majorly cool! And nice enough to beta this here fictionness.**

**By the way….more one-shot ideas! Alucard stumbled upon a magic mirror and things go bad! :D:D You will know what I mean one day……when I actually write it XD**

**Lil-blood-sucker: You are so impatient! I write as fast as I can, ok?! **

**Are any of yous interested in werewolf romances? If so check out Heritage: Love Bite on . **

**squeeeee F.O.B concert in October! Along with anime expo! And, and, and….mock exams…******** ooooooh! The world is cruuuuel! I'll have to go to school in a bad mood then, not like mocks matter….mostly… I get my exam results on the 21****st****! Cross your fingers for me, people! I need half of my subjects to be passes otherwise I can't carry on with me book-learnings ******** but meh…..until next time! **

**XBethX**

**The almighty Fish squisher! **

**B/N: is listening to FOB WHAT?! I WANNA GO!**

**Umm…I'd also pay through my nose to see Alucard shirtless.**

**crosses fingers for Beth**

**A/N2: Would everyone like to see Alucard shirtless? Or at least a flash of flesh?? Sorry for the guys reading this, no doubt you don't actually care about that, riiiight? Shame, why be so straight? Gays are much more fun :D:D ok, ok, if the gals want alucard shirtless at some point there is goin to have to be something for the guys….hat do guys like? Hmmmm…..chocolate? no. Popcorn? No. Music? (how can you put music in a fiction??) nope. Um….Breasts? Damn, am I going to have to write in some breasts? But I'm strictly straight…..or am I? Maybe I'll enjoy writing about breasts…..snort And thank you for your finger crossing, marie. It is well appreciated. **

**Just to give you all a heads up. Due to family issues I may not be able to write much. **

**But hope you all have a great summer holiday XD **


	21. A Curv'ed Fang and a Keen Eye

**Alucard**

**Chapter 21**

**A/N: The fight is on! And you're reading about it! Muahaa! Hahaha! Haahaha! Im mental! Well, actually, all this typing up I getting tedious ******** I should've mentally writte it instead…I love this fic but there's something about copying that stunts your creative floooooow, so….note to self: no more typing up! Ever! **

**Shout out to ma peeps! Andrew! (jewelry stealer!!) Rachel!- Overly enthusiastic ¬¬ whether that's good or bad…we'll find out soon enough. **

**Anyway, once again: Marie, thank you looooots! **

* * *

Scotland, not exactly well-known for its good weather anyway, seemed to be infected with Britain's bad weather and as the aircraft touched down in an abandoned field, rain pelted the metal body at high speed and winds buffeted the craft as we levitated a few inches from the ground, spoiling an otherwise perfect landing.

Molly and I wasted no time in vacating the aircraft and stepping out into the harsh conditions of Scotland, Molly's hair was thrown back behind her, twisting and twirling around her shoulders as it had done when she had danced along the terrace. "Shall we do a quick reconnaissance?"

"As is custom," I motioned for Molly to follow me into the thick woodlands, the trees and bushes created shelter for us and the harsh breeze was kept off our backs as we stepped over bracken and moss. Molly scanned the forest floor for signs of tracks, while I scanned the trees, straining my ears to hear voices and thoughts. Molly sniffed suddenly.

"Urgh, Marlboro," She crouched and pawed through moss until she found a cigarette end, "It's only an hour or so old," she muttered to herself, she scanned the branches in the vicinity, "It is like they just….flew," I snorted.

"You're getting too imaginative, they flicked the cigarette," I flicked a series of broken branches a few feet from the spot she was looking at, Molly's cheeks heated up as I smirked and motioned for us to carry on.

The sudden gust of wind broke free of the trees and blew my hair behind me, the rim of my hat shivering against the sudden movement. I caught Molly glaring at my hat, obviously still annoyed at Pip for violating her prized possession.

"It'll be interesting, won't it, my Red-clad friend?" Molly whispered almost inaudibly as we carried on stealthily through the woodlands, the clamour of voices, shouts and thoughts cut into the periphery of my hearing.

"Definitely," I answered with a sadistic grin as thorns tugged at the hem of my duster, it recoiled away from the thorns' grip; Molly stumbled, still sniffing the air. As a gust of wind cut through the branches overhead an all too familiar scent stung my nostrils. Molly crouched down again; I followed her at seeing a mound of loosened moss thrown on top of something. A darkened patch of soil betrayed the move the moss had made and I pulled the moss back to find a shallow grave, a girl lying face down in the wet soil, neck intact, but her body far from untouched. Her skirt was raked up to reveal her thighs and backside.

Molly gagged. "Sick bastard," she whispered, turning the girl over and smoothing her skirt down to cover her thighs and straightening her blouse. "She's underage as well, paedophilic male rapist bastards," She stood back up.

"The scent is strong," Molly looked up at me, her face stoic but her eyes gleaming with anger, "There's more around here," Molly sucked her teeth and carried on through the woodlands, the blue of her coat swishing over golden bracken and emerald green ferns. We headed in the opposite direction of the noise and towards the scent of death which lingered in the air.

The only noise came from the patter of rain upon the large oak leaves above us, the rainfall slowing and the breeze, though still harsh, not nearly as powerful. The trees thinned and we stepped into a small abandoned quarry, an old static standing in one corner beneath the main quarry ledge, moss and grasses had grown over the rock so it had been abandoned for quite some time. Molly skidded on the loose rocks and down into the centre of the quarry, I followed her noiselessly and we continued to search the quarry.

"The static's been in use," Molly whispered to me as she jumped up the stairs and looked inside. My eyes fell onto a strange formation on the ground, mounds were heaped up into the shape of a pentagram, stones and crystals were littered around the outer edge with stains and pools of blood in the very centre. The stench of death and decay came from the make-shift alter.

Molly jumped over the banister and appeared at my elbow, sniffing the air, "How much are you willing to bet that the whole pentagram is made of corpses?"

"A lot," Molly crouched down and dug into the soil, not caring as mud splashed over her hands and coat and matted her long hair. She snarled under her breath, pulling a hand out of the muddy mess, "Those witch whores repulse me! These are young children!"

"Who think they're adults," I cut in, sticking my hand into my duster and pulling out my mobile. "There's an abandoned quarry a mile into the woodlands, it seems to be the witches' altar,"

"We'll send in Seras and a few others, now find the field and make sure nothing untoward is going to happen- lead them back to the altar, we can deal with them there," Integra hung up and I turned to Molly who was knelt down in the centre of the mounds, dipping her fingers in a pool of blood. "What are you-" Molly licked her fingers and ran her tongue over her lips thoughtfully.

"It isn't human blood, it tastes...foreboding,"

"'Foreboding' is one adjective I would not associate with blood,"

"Poison can taste sweet, just as blood can taste...wrong," She sucked her finger thoughtfully, "Demonic, certainly not vampire or freak, or witch, for that matter,"

"If it tastes as good as your blood this demon will be quit e a nice meal, I think it would only be fitting that I finish him off,"

"It doesn't have a demure kick, I'm afraid, my friend," Molly's eyes narrowed, "It just tastes dark,"

I jerked my head in the direction of the faint noise, "Come on," Molly trotted to my side and kept in pace with me as we carried on through the woodlands, Molly's steps were almost silent as she cut through bracken and stepped over thorns, brambles and wildflowers. The sky was a dark grey with slowly thinning rain clouds, the music of raindrops dwindling into whispers as the rainfall all but stopped. The Scottish breeze flinched away from us and the night become uncannily still, just as a warrior's camp becomes uncannily quiet before an ambush. Molly's fingers twitched beside her thigh, next to the sword in a beautifully decorated sheath and the SW1911 hidden in her thigh holster. To top it all off, she even had her trusty crossbow hanging on a strap diagonally across her chest.

"Surely they can't all have been born with that gift," Molly whispered to herself as we carried on through the tall silhouettes of trees, through the tangle of weeds and thorns and over fallen or dead trees.

"Well, it is possible. Human's only use ten percent of their brains, if you are able to, you could easily tap into the other ninety percent and attain magical gifts,"

"Obsidian, Onyx, sapphire and ruby, they're all used to summon demons," She mused, "I reckon they got their gifts from a demon,"

"What demon would _willingly _give powers to witches?" I scoffed, Molly chuckled in response.

"No demon willingly gives away _anything-_"

"Exactly-"

"But if the witches all had potential magic- which you can test easily by using a combination of elements, a baptism of sorts, drinking a strange concoction of opium poppy seeds, sage, salt water, absinthe and willow-bark and going through a week of meditation- and they acquired the demon's seal, an object he had once used often enough for his supernatural indent to have manifested into the very fabric of it, and if you were all capable of containing the demon's power in a circle, then you could control him. He would have to give you whatever you wanted. If the witch wanted his baby he would have to impregnate her, if she wanted the power to see into the future, he would have to do it. And, once you are finished with getting what you want, to send him back to his own spiritual plane all you have to do is kill him- hence, demon blood,"

"One: how do you know all that isn't superstition? Two: I should imagine the demon would be pretty pissed off with being used and not getting anything in return,"

"Of course he would be, but, depending on the demon, he might get something back. Soldier demons are notorious for fighting against a summoning unless two of the summoners are sacrificed to him; he uses the blood to create a new body. The weaker messenger demons couldn't fight against an old aged pensioner in a wheel-chair, let alone a summons, so, if you really want a demon they're your safest bet," Molly's hand tapped at the place her hat had been forlornly.

"Do you miss your hat?"

"_Bien sur_! I feel positively naked without it!"

"Perhaps, after the harvesting scheme has been thwarted, someone shall get a new one for you," Molly gave me a quizzical look.

"The darker blue top hat was the one I cared for most- my mother gave it to me as a birthday present, it's value was sentimental and so could never be replaced," Though I knew Molly well enough to know that she acted and thought, mostly, like a human; but somehow it felt rather odd to picture her sitting at a table with the elusive Barnibus and her white haired mother with a large birthday cake sitting in front of her, the candles alight and Molly wearing a birthday hat. No, it just didn't seem Molly's style (could she even eat cake?), perhaps something a little more ceremonial. An image of Molly dressed in a formal dress at a table with salad and wine and toasts over champagne popped into my head, a small smile turned my lips, yes, that seemed far more Mollyesque.

"Are we close, Red?" Molly asked, visibly concentrating on listening for noises and screams or any other sounds, "My ears are still ringing after Seras' unprincipled attack," Molly sniffed irately and her eyes flashed, no doubt mentally grumbling and concocting a scheme of revenge.

The ground started to throb with the beat of music, the air screaming with drums and guitars as we neared the field, shouts and screams echoed through the woodlands ominously and the sudden stirring of breeze moved the sounds in such a way that, if you close your eyes, you could picture girls dancing through the woodlands this way and that, screaming and laughing. No doubt the teenagers thought something along those lines as well, considering the smell of their "cigarettes".

"We're almost there," I answered. The air throbbed harder as we neared and I cringed away for a moment, already feeling the inevitable headache creep into my skull- why do teenagers listen to such crap? Every teenager I had encountered within the last seven years listened to the loudest, most aggravating music they could; it was all noise! Occasionally I would find a song or two that I enjoyed listening to, but on the whole, music was just a migraine.

Molly's taste in music was excusable, her favourite bands doing mostly instrumental or vocals instead of a combination of screaming and loud guitar solos, and she made sure to choose bands with limited funding so they couldn't slice and dice a song into "perfection", like some musicians did. Dark Sanctuary were quite beautiful, the lyrics were moving and, of course, the lead singer's swelling and mellifluous voice never stopped to please- and they're songs could be quite creepy. The second of her three favourite bands being a Latin group, Rodrigo y Gabriela, which specialized in Spanish guitar music and third being some gothic group that, though they incorporated loud guitar music, seemed tolerable to me, especially with the lead singer's amazing vocals, the name of that band escapes me though.

It seemed most songs now were "sung" by people who had no idea how to carry a tune; the songs were edited so much that, to a vampiric ear, notes were changed rapidly and skipped throughout entire songs and usually carried such a strong beat that my ears throbbed. There were a hundred reasons why I hated modern music; Molly seemed to understand this more so than Seras, who, even though her ears were more sensitive since her turning- I guess old habits die hard. But, rock and metal was my kind of thing- if it was turned down enough that I didn't get a headache- the atmosphere created by the provocative lyrics always made me want to kill something, got me in the mood, as it were. Molly preferred t calm herself before a kill: "I wouldn't want to go in over-excited and end up having a heart-attack, would I?" she'd snap venomously. She still seemed agitated that I thought her as easily excitable, strange creature.

A chorus of shouting, screams and drunken hooting echoed from the large field; the drunken teenagers weren't visible, they were obscured from view by tall grasses that had, most definitely, not been tended to for some years. The whole five acres was abandoned, the stables and barns, even the old house, had been abandoned for years, the extra two or three acres of woodland, the quarry, all was ours to use how we pleased. Depending on how many freaks and witches there were, we could spread their killings over an expanse of seven acres- oh, tonight was going to be fun!

"Now, now, my friend, please could you reign in those sadistic instincts of yours, I'd hate for you to become over-zelous, you seem to become easily excited of late," she winked at as she pushed through the grasses a soft chuckle escaping her lips, cut short as she made to tilt her hat at me in her usual silent "good-luck", only to find her head naked. She sniffed tentatively and carried on. "Perhaps you're rubbing off on me, Molly," I countered from beside her, "I can't remember ever being e_asily_ excited before meeting you," Molly sniggered.

She crouched low and sprinted through the field of tall grasses like wind, her feet barely making any noise her body swerving with the dexterity of a lithe feline. She paused and waited for me to catch up as I glanced over the grasses to the large area where the grasses had all been cut and mown down for the parties, where crates had been piled up to make a sort of stage the held two large barrels of a beverage- probably beer- and two large speakers that thrummed with the heavy metal music. Heads bobbed as boys ran into each other and wrestled drunkenly with the music. A few dozen trucks were parked along the periphery of the party area; one red pick-up truck held more 

speakers in the back and several other cars hid sexually charged teenagers.

I returned my attention to Molly, who's eyebrows were elevated in expectation, her half-smile playing at her lips as she waited patiently. She had once never waited for me, never cared if I were to get caught and ripped to pieces, but since our fight over the that _disgusting slime-ball __**Faust**_ she had seemed to wait for me, patiently, seemed to take pleasure in fighting by my side, seemed to enjoy watching me rip people apart just as she did. She took pride in being my fighting companion, and it was nice to finally find someone I had something in common with- doubly pleasant that it was fighting.

Black smoke rose into the air, furling and unfurling into the dark folds of clouds, as a group of teenagers lit a large bonfire in the centre of the field, cheers echoed over the music as everyone started to dance around the bonfire with cans in their hands. They jumped into each other, pushed each other to the ground, and persuaded each other to duck into the grasses for a sly romp, altogether they acted like maddened trogladites, the black smoke billowed about them and the whole clearing was illuminated, showing red faced youths and blushing girls. Molly's lip curled, her eyes flashes and a look of utter disgust crumpled her angular features. "These children are ruining themselves...they repulse every molecule in my being," she hissed out of the corner of her mouth, "Why don't we just let those witches take out their frustrations and _then _kill the assailants?"

"That isn't how we work. They are innocent, no matter how much sex they have and beer they drink. I reckon you envy them," I sniggered as a boy cornered to girls and whispered into their drunken ears one after the other, both girls looked at each other and draped their arms around him as he gave the thumbs up to his friends smoking in the back of a pickup truck. Molly gave me a disbelieving look, "I suppose I'm jealous of their rather splendid assortment of STIs and their early acquirement of liver failure,"

"Well, have you ever just relaxed?" I asked out of the corner of my mouth as I carried on watching the scene unfold.

"I don't need to relax, I need to kill Maximus, I need to find Mathias and Corinne and save the innocent public from mass execution,"

"Everyone needs to unwind-"

"Yes, and spreading my legs will help me unwind, won't it? I pity those whores," she hissed, her face softened and her eyes glistened with pity as a boy started to roughly remove a girls clothes in the grass just a few to the right of us. Molly turned her head away from the scene, though I noticed her ball and unball her fists rhythmically as she thought about punishing the almost-rapist with her favourite form of punishment: castration.

The girl started to protest, Moly stiffened, "Disgusting bastard," she hissed, "Won't.Be.A.Second," she snarled, cutting past me gracefully and standing over the boy as he continued to undress her, the girl started to cry. "I think you need a little lesson in manners, boy, when a girl says 'no' she means 'if you don't get your hands off me right now I'll blow your brains out'," she cocked her gun and pressed it to the side of his head, "But, seeing as this girl doesn't seem to have any weapons with her, I think _I _might pull the trigger."

"L-look, bitch, ae danno whae y' problem is, boot thaes whore wants me," Came his accented reply.

"Wrong answer, boy," Molly grabbed him by his long, greasy brown hair and span him around and proceeded to beat the shit out of him. I turned my eyes back to the party, the music quietened and a girl in a skirt and bikini top stood on the crates, "hey! Wae got a surprise fo' y'!" She screamed, "A drinkin' contest!" She gestured to two large boys on either side of the stage; both 

stepped up, two smaller boys following them on. Hose pipes were attached to the barrels and the larger boys lifted them up as the smallest of the group popped the hose pipes in their mouths. The crowd cheered, shouting for them to drink as the girl pranced around the stage swinging her hips.

Molly returned, fists bloodied, "Fell better?" I asked apathetically.

"Much. I had to knock the girl out too, she was putting up an awful lot of a fuss, especially after I saved her dignity. You would think that disserves an allegiance of secrecy, wouldn't you, but she insisted she was going to the police," Molly looked up at me, "Have you ever tried getting out of their cells?"

"No, I'm not so sloppy that the police would catch me," Molly pulled a face.

"Well, I assure you, escaping those cells is about as easy as blowing your nose," She started at seeing the drinking competition, "Oh, how intelligent, haven't these humans ever heard about hyperhydration?"

"I doubt it, they don't seem to know anything about sexually transmitted infections either," Molly snorted. "Looks like the witches are being coy with us. Come, we'll smoke them out,"

"Won't need to," Molly's smile broadened, her fangs lengthened as the headphones exploded. The drinkers on stage pulled out their pipes and choked in surprise while the largest pair squared their shoulders and the girl shrieked her body flying through the air directly at us. I caught the girl easily, rolling my eyes as she shrieked in surprise and embraced me thankfully, "Ae could've died! Oh, mae God!" She screeched.

"Don't count your blessings yet," I snarled, dropping her unceremoniously to the floor.

"Boot, y' saved me!" She cried on the floor as I stepped over her and entered the clearing.

"Tell it to someone cares," I snarled as I pulled out my two faithful guns, Molly had jumped into action, fangs extended and crossbow in hand. Chaos unravelled itself as teenagers screamed, stopping in the almost silence in sheer terror and not really knowing whether to run or just fight. Human nature prevailed as over a dozen black-clad women stepped through the grasses, their tongues clicking in a mellifluous Gaelic language as they chanted and the young party-goers made for the cover of the forest, little did they know that another seven freaks waited in the grasses with their thirty-odd ghouls at hand.

The leading witch threw her hand out, four teenage boys stopped dead and turned, eyes round and awestruck as they ran to her side, cooing affection at her until she shoved guns into their hands- then all softness failed and evil seeped in, they turned on their friends shooting their friends' kneecaps so as to make it an easier meal for the freaks the stepped through the golden grasses laughing uproariously as girls squirmed in their grip and jaws.

Molly let loose bolts at the freaks, one hitting home and turning the disgusting creature to dust before he could open his mouth for an, "oh, crap". Molly grinned jubilantly, aiming more bolts at the rest of the freak assailants, leaving the witches to me- how generous of her, she knew I liked new things to fight.

Teenagers fell to the ground, screaming as ghouls and freaks set upon them tearing them apart and eating them alive. Jackal hummed ecstatically as bullets threw from its barrel into ghouls and the unfortunate teens that had let themselves fall into the freaks' grasps. Next my attention turned to the witches, the priestess catching more men in her web, telling them to round up friends, to die for her, anything. _Obviously someone is drunk on power, though who can blame you, terror does taste sweet. _

I shot at the witches, the weaker, not being able to protect themselves, fell to the ground dead or bleeding to death; the remaining witches, the strongest, mushrooms my shells, small explosions ricocheting off invisible barriers. The Priestess sneered at me, her long brown hair curling around her shoulders as a harsh Scottish breeze caught her.

The familiar tingle of recoil in my hand sent tremmers up my spine as another bullets slipped through a barrier and imbedded itself in a witches skull, blood and tissue sprayed the other witches beautifully, the shock of losing their friend set in, three more dropped their guard and my bullets brought them to their knees, mentally begging for the pain to stop.

Nine remained.

A quick glance in Molly's direction told me that the freaks, ghouls and mesmerised boys had managed to herd the rest of the party into the woodlands for the main course, Molly had followed them. The grasses were crumpeled and a long corridor had presented itself through the wash of gold now stained with red and littered with corpses and those not yet dead. The smell of blood filled my nostrils, my undead heart expanded in joy at seeing that half of the corpses were the ghouls themselves- Molly was really on top form tonight.

The witches carried on chanting loudly, my ears tingled with the noise, cars, barrels, corpses and crates flew at me and I skipped past them easily, laughing loudly, "Is that the best you've got?" The witches faltered and I jumped into action, gripping another witch and ripping off her arms and legs, tossing her to the winds without a moment's hesitation. The witches screamed, the chanting stopping, the crackling in the stopped and they sprinted for the woodlands.

The priestess, courageous and honourable as she was, went to the back, still throwing cars and any other heavy object at me; but still I laughed and danced away from the obstacles. These creatures were easy prey, easily dealt with, but I wanted to make the most of this while I could.

Screams rippled through the air, girls rushed through the brush with the breeze, hair whipping about them as they sobbed, hearts screaming for rest- but still creatures pursued them. I wondered, briefly, where Molly was, whether she had finished off the freaks and was working her way through the ghouls or vice versa; knowing Molly as I did she had probably turned on some of the more disgusting boys in her excitement and was enjoying ripping a rapist's neck to pieces in her moment of quiet- she wouldn't be eating for a week, I imagined.

A fallen tree flew at me through the bushes, the shapes of the women drifted across the thorns and turned left abruptly. I grinned, speeding up and running alongside them easily, "Tired yet?" I laughed, the priestesses eyes narrowed, her cheeks flushed as she pushed herself to her limits, her colleagues visually falling back. She gritted her teeth and called out a spell quickly, outline glowed a dull gold, as did all the trees and living things around her and her friends. They sped up, grinning as the energy of every other living thing filled them enough for them to make it to their desired destination- a clearing wherein a boulder stood alone in the centre, a glove and ruby stood on the altar and it seemed they were readyin themselves for something.

Three figures immerged from the trees, the last of the freak, their clothes soaked in blood, they're bodies humming with a night's gluttonous feeding. The witches halted in a formation around the stone, three silent bolts shot through the air and hit the freaks clean in the heart, each one dropped to the floor in piles of ash and dust. Molly jumped down from the tree, panting excitedly, cheeks flushed and eyes gleaming brightly even in the darkness, "Such a...beautiful evening," She gasped, cradling her beloved crossbow and then slinging it over her shoulders.

The chanting became louder, the ground throbbed and Molly snarled, taking out her 1911 and firing whole-heartedly at the witches in turn, but the bullets mushroomed and exploded in on 

themselves against a barrier. "Bloody hell," Molly snarled, her fangs flashing as she snapped her jaws at them, eyes dancing across the clearing for any sign of a weakness, but none came, a haze had settled around the women, there was no way to shoot them down.

"You took care of the freaks?"

"Yes,"

"The ghouls?"

"Yes, and any unfortunates that were bitten,"

"good. Where are the last of the teenagers?"

"The quarry, I knocked out the mesmerised boys and had the Geese help out."

The ground rumbled, the Scottish breeze hit hard, my hair flying back into the wind, the gusts of wind scratching over my skin and Molly's, the leaves on the trees rustled noisily and pebbles on the ground jittered. "How intriguing, I hope I get to eat one of those doxies soon," Molly grinned, her tongue darting out to run along her porcelain white fangs, I couldn't agree more. I couldn't wait to rip out those linguistic tongues of theirs; the continuous jabbering was starting to give me a headache.

Cracks opened up to the east and west of the formation, which, now I looked, stood upon a pentagram painted on the ground in salt. The woodlands moaned as trees nearest us tumbeled and roots writhed to the surface of the ground underneath our feet, rearing like the heads on snakes. Molly's eyes still roamed, she jumped into the only standing tree left, watched keenly for a waning in the barrier.

Long rope-like roots shot out of the east and west crack, wrapped around the torsos of the unfortunate witches nearest and pulled them deep into the holes without a noise. Not even a scream came as blood and tissue exploded into the air in the centre of the circle, the barrier waned just as the roots slipped in and Molly jumped from the tree at the Priestess, fangs sinking into her arm. The priestess screamed the rest of the chant as Molly ripped harder, the brunette grabbed her sister and pushed her into Molly and, quite obviously, Molly's reaction was to kill her too. The slightly curved fangs ripped into her chest, breaking open ribs and pulling out innards, blood splashed over Molly's face and drenched her clothes but this seemed to spur her on. She shrieked as a force within the circle threw her out and against the tree she had jumped from just moments before.

The blood from the cracks in the ground still hung in the air as the witches carried on shouting their chant, the liquid bubbled, a mouth opening into a long laugh as yellow, reptilian eyes opened. Roots along the ground shivered and grew up over the boulder, crushing the ruby and discarding the glove, growing up and twisting into the blood that floated in the air; the liquid still bubbled as ligaments and bones were grown from the roots, more roots flying from across the clearing the wrap around the exposed bones and ligaments to form white blossom skin and veins and arteries. "Great Genral, wae call fo' y' in oor time of need, wae 'ave given y' blood, now wae ask fo' y' to kill t'e vampire and it's evil mistress and give us oor great powers," The Priestess looked up at the formation adoringly. _Mistress? Surely she doesn't mean the cruel looking creature crouching by the tree? _I glanced at Molly, still crouching, reptilian eyes focused on the goings on, her heart picking up an exciteable beat as her fangs glistened pink and her mouth turned into a cruel smile.

Clothes blossomed on top and a man shook his head, running his large, calloused hands through his long brown locks adoringly. His gruff voice cut like diamond over glass and his eyes turned to the priestess as she bled profusely, his legs still growing from the roots around him, his body throbbing.

"Oh, what a night to be summoned," He sighed. The roots along the ground gleamed scarlet as they moved over the salt into a pentagram formation and the Demon looked at each witch in turn, pausing at the hunch disembowelled figure outside of the circle and then Molly and myself. Molly stood up from her crouching position, moved to my side quickly, panting gleefully, her tongue running along her fangs in turn, "Ready for something incredibly interesting, my friend, Red?" Her voice was edged with excitement, I grinned turning my attention back to the witches who all stared at the man adoringly, almost lovingly as he dusted down his old-fashioned attire and polished the stone set in the hilt of his sword resting at his hip.

"Aah, the disgusting power-hungry whores again to bleed me dry, much like my seven ex-wives," He breathed exasperatedly. A strong, squared and incredibly masculine jaw rotated as he got used to his new body, large, calloused hands massaged his temples. I studied his physiognomy, noting the strong, pointed and slightly hooked nose, the heavy brow that seemed permanently furrowed, thick black eyebrows and the slowly growing moustache running down and stopping just past the corners of his mouth. His face seemed permanently displeased, that face was familiar but I couldn't place it.

He picked at the lapels of his black, centuries-old clothes, the lace cuffs of his shirt revealing them to be at least four hundred years old. A strange medallion hung around his neck, several different dark coloured stones were set around the edge and gold and ruby rings lined his fingers.

"Now, I threw _those _power-hungry whores into the deepest pits in hell, how shall I dispose of you- after I've served you wel-" Molly edged towards the circle, ready to kill the remaining witches, her hand at her sword. The demon sniffed the air and looked at me, "A new one? Surely you don't want me to bless someone who is already a dozen times more powerful than you, Emm-" He stopped again and turned his eyes to Molly, sniffing again, his eyes turned molten gold and he sliced across Molly's chest without a moment's hesitation.

**A/N: Well...shall we see what happens next? Dun dun duuuuun! I didn't think I would write so quickly...I hope you enjoyed it. **

**It's late but I still want to type up the rest...by the way, how's the polon shirtless alucard coming along? C'mon...I reeeeeeally want to write in a shirtless scene, but I shan't do it without your say-so...mostly. **

**Niiiiight! Until next time. **

**Can any say: Marie's cool as a mule? No? Okay how about: marie rocks...or is that too old fashioned. Ok, ok, let's just say: marie's Betaing is the best darned betaing since slived betaing! XD yep, that works, it's weird AND original! :D **

**Has anyone heard of the Jaz Parks novels? Once bitten, twice shy? Bite the dust? No...okay, well I highly recommend you do. Fast paced AND hard to put down. I read it all in ONE day, not even that! :D I was so proud but freaked at the same time...I'm turning into a book-junkie...meh, I LOVE IT! And blood-sucker's fuelling my fire, darn you! And you probably won't talk to me now either...¬¬ I did apologise and I tried to be a good person but nooooo...¬¬ book-junkie! **

**Ahem.**

**But I digress. I am soooo sorry this took so bloomin' long to update, it was cruel and mean of me, especially as I've already written up to 23 and part of 24...:O:O but you aren't supposed to know that...I'm checking them at the moment. I've recently ordered a LOT of hellsing stuff...accidentally got 2 copies of hellsing 7...¬¬ and, what's worse, 7 appeared before 4, 5,6...:O:O soooo peeved...but getting over it! have you noticed how much I use elipsis? (is that the right term for it?) Also...I'm sorry I didn't wait for you to beta chapter 21 marie..I just really want to get the enxt few chapters "out of the way" i.e off my mind, cos...writing up is not as fun as it sounds,the writing bit though- that's great :D so I am moving swiftly on. **

**And you'll also notice how messed up my timeline is...This is set after millennium, but Mister Bernadette is still alive (because he's fun and i didn't realise he died) and I also didn't realise he's not COMPLETELY human, apparently he's a werewolf- I have yet to find that out- :D another thing, in the manga i swear it's bernadotte, as it is on the anime, but in the anime subtitles it's bernadOTTE...hmm...**

anyway, it's late! MUST DASH!!

signed:

Queen of the Short

&

Almighty Fish Squasher

&

Recently dubbed: Cliffhanger creater

or otherwise known as: Beth, the short one with short hair XD


	22. Controlling a Feral Beast

**Alucard (as is custom)**

**Chapter 22**

**A/N: Powering through! Woot! I'm hoping to do a double update, cos I know I would love a double whammy. Anyway...POWERING THROUGH! pant pant (I'll have a little something to say riiiiight at the end XD) But at the same time apologising for the length of this chapter- SO LONG YOU WILL HATE ME, sooooorry! **

Though Molly's reflexes were fast, they didn't match the demon's and the sword sliced across her chest, velocity spatter flew through the air and hit my lips and cheeks, my tongue immediately licking the droplets away from my mouth, my taste-buds tingling as darkness and light mixed on my tongue to make a delicious cocktail.

The sword had imbedded itself in the plate growing from her ribs and down to protect that bizarre digestive system of hers, she didn't even flinch as he tried to pull the blade from inside of her, black-blue blood fell to the floor and she touched the blade cautiously and finally yanked it out, gagging slightly and then righting herself.

"You shouldn't be here, demoness," He sneered as Molly poked the wound unenthusiastically and offered her fingers to me.

"Would you like an aperitif?" She asked, I raised my eyebrow to her, she sighed.

"Waste not, want not," She grumbled, licking her fingers clean. The demon did not look impressed, he brandished his sword, still sneering at Molly as she pulled the white vest neck down to look at the wound, which had miraculously started to heal. She ran her finger over the wound, licking her fingers thoughtfully as her fangs shrank back into her gums, blood still smeared over the whole of her lower face. "You must be Alucard, I presume, and who might your demoness companion be?" The General asked coldly.

"General, Ae order y' to kill thaese-"

"So shrill for my over-sensitive ears, Emma," He stuck his finger in his ear and rotated his jaw, Emma blinked at him, face suddenly paling. "No, whore, I don't think I shall listen to you. Didn't you read the texts?" The delusional little witch nodded, a smile returning to her lips though her brow still furrowed in confusion and pain.

"O-of course," She answered, stepping back as he jumped down from the altar and advanced on her. The roots along the ground darted towards the other women's ankles like enraged snakes, their heads delving into the women's flesh; screams fell from their lips as they tried to run but fell to the ground, the roots still slithering up their veins. The demon's method of execution was perfect; it caused maximum fear and pain. Though my grin fell when I realised I wouldn't be killing off these greedy girls.

Molly gasped as roots delved through her skin, her sword at her hand, and she started to slice the roots off, jumping up to grip onto a low branch on the one remaining tree and swung herself up onto a branch as roots reared at her, the roots still left hanging from her ankle slipping out with a sickening beautiful noise.

"And what did they say, my delicious dear? My little harpsichord?" His eyes flashed and a forked tongue darted out from his lips.

"Alu-" All intelligible talk halted and was replaced with hisses, snarls and dull roars as roots climbed up the trunk and wound their way around the bough where Molly sat. She jumped down, immediately roots buried themselves into her shin, her fangs flashed as she tried to pull them out, but to no avail. I shot at the roots, several were severed in the process and the rest seemed to flee and turn their attention to the witches as they writhed on the ground, the roots like scarabs under their skin. The foolish bitches shouldn't have toyed with summoning, perhaps they will be more wise in the future? Though what future will they have in hell?

"It said-" Emma was cut short as the General beat her to it, his eyes flashing maliciously as he recited every word confidently.

"'To summon the _Great_ General, the _Punisher_, the Commander and _deeply feared_ Agaliarept, one 

must lay hands upon _something lost_ of which he has kept _close_, must acquire a single drop of _blood_, his own _seal_ and two _virgins _willing to die for you and _two women cursed with the loss of an unborn child_. He will answer thee who are stronger and courageous- _and foolish_- for he needs a strong conduit to keep him fettered. He _is merciless, cruel_ and _without conscience_- weaker among men, _endeavour not_.'" Agaliarept raised an eyebrow as his eyes scanned her body, his hand fell to her shoulder, where he tugged the neck of her t-shirt over her shoulder to show a strange shaped brand, outlines of an arrow, sword and axe lay over one another; but was disfigured as her veins protruded, Molly's bite next to it probably being the cause of it. "You wear my seal, as you have called upon me once before- alone- and, with my physical being stretched across two planes I was only able to brand you- luckily for you,"

"Boot Ae am stronger now, Ae have thae virgins, thae barron women, thae seal and y' own object an' blud,"

"Aye, you are stronger, but you foolishly called upon me when you were up against something that was stronger than _you_, and someone who has something I lost years ago which tie to me far more tightly than a silly glove. You have one droplet of blood, these two have a pint- do you comprehend what I say, Whore?" Emma's back hit a tree; her friends had fallen silent, their heartbeats slowing painfully, their eyes wide to the sky as they prayed silently. Tears welled up in her wide eyes as she nodded.

"Out of all of you, you had the most potential and I blessed you all; unlocked those powers enough for you to leave me alone and reap vengeance upon those who have wronged you, so you may create a holocaust so only the strongest may survive," he scoffed loudly, grinning at her sadistically as she tried to get away from him, her back pressed firmly against the tree and his arms blocking her escape to the left or right. Her eyes grew wide like an antelope as the lion ripped into its haunches and, of all things, she looked to Molly and I for help. I sneered inwardly, what pathetic behaviour, to turn to your enemies like some spineless insect!

"Ae did ne know! Ae am t'e strongest amongst t'em!"

"No, my dearest," Agaliarept ran his fingers over her cheeks, his tone taking on a vaguely melancholic sound as he carried on, "you are not," Emma's eyes widened and she shook her head, glancing towards Molly and I in turn as Agaliarept's sadness disintegrated to be replaced with merciless glee. "The vampire, Alucard, is the strongest here, his little demoness friend is also far more powerful than you. As I have said, they have objects that mean far more to me than a silly glove, and far more blood- as all soldier demons are my own children," His grin stretched his face, warping it into a merciless and cold expression, long reptilian fangs extended past his lips, a smaller pair of canines growing atop those. I glanced to Molly, her fangs bared as a stray root sought to imbed itself inside her again; she tore it out of her leg roughly, not caring for the pain, the lethal curve of her incisor so incredibly similar to the General's it was obvious they were of the same race- or indeed similar. I observed both their faces quickly, remarking to myself how their jaws were squared, their noses pointed, their eyes large, their brows furrowed, their fangs curved and lethal...

"You commanded me like a slave!" He roared, "Even though it was I who gave you those gifts! Even though it was I who promised you immortality! And if not that immortality, then salvation in hell!" He laughed heartlessly as Emma began to sob, all mistaken notions of her being powerful and in control disintegrating- she was nothing but a worthless coward. "Now you shall get a taste of the agony you have put others through and shall know that I won't be your salvation in hell!" His eyes glowed cruelly, his laugh echoing throughout the whole woodland as roots darted towards Emma, she screamed as they buried their heads in her shins with a sickening squelch; bones cracked, ligaments snapped, agony spread and her skin protruded as they ran up her veins like cracks across a mirror. "God, nae!" she cried.

"Pray, you deliciously sweet whore, my dear beautiful lover! Maybe it will hold you in good stead with those of a higher power," He stepped back and watched happily as Emma's screams became silent, but her mouth still hung open, the aghast expression permanently set on her face as grunts of torment built in her elegant throat, as the roots slithered through her jugular. Her body shrivelled and twisted and writhed in agony, convulsions of deaths steadily building up.

"What are you doing?" Molly asked, cautiously stepping forward, her sword still in hand. The other women's heartbeats stopped and their bodies were left blue and twisted like days-old corpses. "It is how I prefer to kill my summoners, their lives become my power. And it wouldn't be any fun if I just disembowelled them, would it, little Demoness? These ladies shall keep me anchored here for quite some time, weeks possibly,"

"How?" She asked, still not dropping her guard the blood stains on her vest reminder of his quick movements. Even with his back to her, he knew her activities, "You may put that away, my dear, I shall not be killing you or your silent partner tonight or any other night,"

Emma gagged as her eyes bulged and she fell to the ground, finally dead, the roots still twisted throughout her body as she slowly turned blue. I noticed that, as he turned and stepped forwards, roots were still attached to his feet, the roots were blood red and pulsating, snapping away like small veins and arteries as he broke form them- the roots were feeding him the eight witches. "It starts by taking a little blood, then I gain access to their emotions, their memories; I steal their voices, their hearing, mobility and agility, knowledge, sight all, to heighten my own senses and knowledge and then I take the last of their blood and life and, no meal should come without it, their soul. I can see you look horrified that I steal souls," he smirked at Molly's repulsed look. "Don't worry, I only use their souls to anchor me here and then I take them to hell- if that be where they are headed- and do what I like with them," he chuckled darkly.

"That's-"

"Fabulous?" He offered enthusiastically.

"Quite," Molly answered, fangs retracting into her gums, her tongue darting out to lick the blood from her lips.

"You missed a spot," I informed without a hint of a smile, her cheeks, chin, neck and hands still stained with half a dozen different people's blood, what a fine cocktail that must be. Agaliarept sighed contentedly, throwing his arms out as he gazed up at the cloudy sky, "Well, isn't this magnificent? I haven't had a holiday for half a millennium. What year is it?" He asked, turning his snake eyes to Molly and I.

"2008," I chimed with Molly.

"Mmm, how wonderful. And what is it that you've stolen from me, Demoness? And may I ask how you came to escape that oh so boring place called hell?" Molly frowned, her mouth turning down at the corners.

"I've never met you before, sir. And please don't call me 'Demoness', I have a name,"

"And what is your name?"

"Molly," Her hand went to her head to tilt her non-existent hat, she faltered and proceeded to bow to him just as she had me on our first meeting.

"No surname?"

"No, it's simply Molly. I've only recently discovered my demonic heritage, I've never seen or been to hell, sir, as you may have guessed from my severe pallor," Agaliarept burst into fits of laughter, obviously understanding how she might have come to the conclusion that Hell was a fiery pit as he himself was of a dark complexion with dark hair and wasn't it common knowledge that if you are cruel you are sent to "the burning pits" of hell?

"I like creatures with a sense of humour! You remind me of someone, whom, no doubt, is a bag of bones in a grave somewhere. Come here, I wish to study your physiognomy," Molly advanced; the Demon stretched out his hand but quickly recoiled as the silver chain around her neck flashed.

"A blessed, silver chain, how quaint," he drawled sarcastically, "The bag of bones herself wore blessed silver as well, her family crest hanging in the centre. She said she wished to keep her family 'close to her heart'. She wore it until I refused to touch her; gold is so much nicer, anyway. Do you know of the Molyneuxs?"

"No, I can't say I do,"

"Neither did I. They were an aristocratic family in the south until their entire family was thought to be witches two hundred years before I met their daughter. All my best mistresses were burnt at the stake for being witches, or at least thought to be witches- aah, good times," His eyes glazed as he reminisced. "Speaking of 

wives, I think I hear them approach,"

The silence was cut by screams and shouts and curses; Pip's French accent echoed through the woodlands as the breeze ruffled leaves and rain started to fall again. Molly looked up, eyes wide for her French friend, "Oh, blast," She hissed, leaping into a sprint, immediately disappearing in the leaves and weeds and bushes, her steps practically silent.

"Shall we?" Agaliarept smiled and followed me as I passed Molly and stopped in the centre of the Quarry where the soldiers shouted to one another and were dragged along the ground, thrown at trees, soldiers darted out from behind the three military vans we'd brought with us, shouting and running from invisible assailants. Integra and Leonard seemed to be the only ones untouched by the invisible attacks. "Oh, dear, it appears your soldiers are adulterers and deserters,"

"What does that have to do with it?" Molly snapped, as she tried to calm Pip who jumped on the spot, screaming at the top of his lungs in French.

"Mon dieu! Ze demons are coming! Molly, get out of ze way! Zey'll kill you!" Pip grabbed Molly and pushed her behind him, I raised an eyebrow as I noticed, out of the pair, Molly appeared to be the only one with a shadow. "Well, _I_'m an adulterer and deserter. But, of course, I lost my shadow years ago, so they are attacking blind. I may have thrown them into the deepest darkest pit in the centre of Hell, but that doesn't stop them from tormenting me when I'm alive. But, they can't punish _me_!" He chortled to himself as a soldier ran past us gripping his head.

"What harm can come of stealing someone's shadow?" I asked, sceptically.

"Shadows are like anchors, steal a shadow and you throw a part of them into the unknown which is, more often than not, hell."

"Surely you need a shadow then," I shot back, Agaliarept chortled again and looked down at the eight shadows beneath him.

"I suppose you wish to keep your soldiers' sanity intact?" Pip started to slash his arm in front of him and still he stood in front of Molly.

"It would be preferable!" Molly called vehemently as she rubbed Pip's arms and whispered sweet things to him, my stomach turned in anger, Pip was not worthy of her.

"My beautiful wives, would you all like to calm yourselves?" Seven shadows appeared in front of us, the shape so incredibly feminine that there was no mistaking that these were his wives. The Mercenaries' shadows appeared at their feet and the Quarry became silent, Pip blinked and turned to Molly who was still whispering pleasant things to him, he grinned, grabbing her around the waist and span her around. _I zought she was dead! _"Put me down, you fool!" Molly hissed as his arms wrapped around her back, she cried out, "I'll bite you, I swear to God!" Pip put her down hastily, grinning like an idiot, he bent down and kissed both her cheeks, pausing a little too long "You died," he whispered.

"And yet I'm still standing here," Molly folded her arms and drummed her fingers on her upper arms, raising an irritated eyebrow. Her facial expression changed as Pip walked away and she frowned, a bemused tilt of the lips appearing at her mouth, her eyes glazed and her arms dropped to her side.

"Molly?" I asked uncertainly as her eyes closed and her head dropped back.

"Tell me," She murmured, "What does having your shadow stolen feel like?" Agaliarept frowned and glanced down to her feet, a smirk played on his lips.

"It depends what they're doing to you," He answered. Molly giggled and I looked to the ground to see three of his wives embracing and toying with her, running their hands through her hair, over her arms, her back. Molly giggled again, body swaying slightly as they kissed her neck and cheeks, "Cerce, Persephone, Fay," The Demon barked, "Let alone the nice virgin," his jaw twitched and jumped, "And leave me alone as well!" he bellowed, the seven shadows flitted across the ground buried themselves in the cloak of his stolen shadows. He sighed, dusting down his attire before pushing a strand of his wavy brown hair behind his ear.

Molly's glazed and faraway expression vanished, she cleared her throat and started towards me, tripping on her shoelaces, her cheeks blushing as she knelt down beside me and retied them, muttering to herself as she went. Her infamous pendant fell from inside her vest and swung down past her knee, the light of a van animated within it and thrown over the ground. Agaliarept watched with his head tilted to the side as the light from the headlights to the pendant cast ghostly shapes over his face. "What a lovely pendant, I believe I've seen it somewhere before..." He rested his chin in his hand and then smiled as the memory dawned on him, "There are quite a few brandings in that shape where I'm from, I daresay if you are ever sent to Hell you will get quite a welcome..." He chuckled at his own joke, "The 'm' stand for _Moly_, am I right?" His pronunciation of such an easy and common English name surprised me, he was after all, suppose to be a sophisticated though cruel demon.

"_Molly, _yes," Agaliarept nodded slowly, brows knitted together far more than naturally, if that were possible.

"Did you know your father?" He asked in a tone resembling boredom, but I sensed skulduggery. Molly gave me an uncertain look but answered.

"No, not really, I've recently discovered he was a General though, probably one of those soldiers who call themselves Generals but couldn't lead a goose to the Gander," Agaliarept bristled, "But, I'm afraid I'm bitter, I did not know him- whether or not he was a deserter or not is yet to be said and I can't assume the worst. But if I did meet him I would first remove his heart- if he had one," Agaliarept sniffed in a way all people do when they've realised they've stumbled upon a bad topic for conversation.

"And what of your mother?" He asked after a moment. No, General, that is also a _very_ bad subject.

"Killed- murdered, raped, taken advantage and drained of all the life in her right before my very eyes," Molly answered, her red hair falling in front of her eyes to hide the subdued, hurt and forlorn look that often came into her eyes whenever anyone mentioned her mother. "The freaks that did it are probably all in hell being tortured for eternity now; you'd know them all by the brandings- repeatedly branded over their backs, faces, chests and arms." Her fangs lengthened in glee at the memories.

"So I take it she was avenged?" A cruel smile cracked across Molly's face, she shook her hair back to reveal the jubilant and viciously cruel look in her eyes as they turned to slits, the pupils following suit.

"Oh, she was avenged, over and over and over again," Agaliarept grinned back, both flashed vampiric canines at each other.

"You have the look in your eyes that I love; it shows determination, mercilessness and vengeance. Though I would've thought the vengeance would have fizzled out after a while,"

"Oh, I'm far from done. Maximus is the last one on my list, after that I was thinking I could settle down somewhere," Molly gave a half smile, her eyes sparkled and returned to the usual almost-white and pink instead of the darkened blue and almost red of her snake-like eyes.

"Perhaps, when I next see these freaks, I could give them a little..." Agaliarept chuckled coldly, "telling off," his eyes narrowed, "Was she in pain when she died?" Molly's face flushed with anger.

"Yes, a lot, I was weaker then, I refused to believe I wasn't completely human- I know better know and I'm stronger for it," Agaliarept started to circle Molly, sizing her up, Molly gave me another of her uncertain looks, _**Don't worry, if he tries anything I'll blow his brains out, **_Molly winked at me and squared her shoulders.

"Is it dye?"

"Hmm?"

"Your hair colour is extraordinary, is it this dye stuff I hear about? My mistress would surely like some," Molly laughed shortly.

"No, it's all natural, I can't stand the stench of chemicals, they give me nightmare and headaches- a foul combination if you ask me," she laughed uncertainly as he carried on circling her.

"May I?" The General reached out his hand to take a strand of hair, pausing for her to take off her blessed pendant. Molly whistled in Pip's direction, she slipped the pendant off from around her neck and threw it in his direction. Agaliarept took a strand of her waist-length red hair in his hands and twisted around his finger, "Such a beautiful colour, perhaps half a shade of red away from blood-red, but, near enough to be dazzling," He unwound her hair from his finger and ran his hand through it, "I suppose this was your mother's shade?"

"No, she was blonde, which eventually turned white,"

"So your mother wasn't a soldier-demon then. Blood-red is a common hair-colour in soldier-demons, especially hybrids, they're always so much more powerful and fun," He gripped her chin in his hand and turned it this way and that, eying the shape of her nose, mouth, how her eyebrows knitted together as she frowned and the silvered lines of scars. "What strange eyes you have," he turned her head again, "Nothing incredibly feminine about your face, but, not ugly- eye-catching and commanding," Molly laughed.

"Oh, certainly commanding, sir," she laughed, jerking her head out of his grasp, he shrugged.

"Are you any good with weapons?" He asked, recommencing his circling. Molly looked back to me, _Well, am I, Red? _It would have been incredibly arrogant for her answer that question herself.

"I'm not really sure," I answered apathetically, Molly glared at me as my mouth twitched into a smirk, "If she were a little faster she might surpass me in swordsmanship, but, of course, she isn't faster than me, nor can she play dirty. Archery seems to be her forte, crossbows being her favourite and the bow being her second favourite; I've only ever seen her miss once and that wasn't her fault- though she could've seen the obstacle coming. She's good with guns, but who isn't?" Molly covered her mouth as a laugh threatened to steal her calm.

"And hand-to-hand combat?"

"Fast, brutal, violent- overly psychotic and _easily excited_," Molly glared at me as my smirk broadened and The General sniggered, stopping behind her as he gripped onto her shoulders. I felt like the lieutenant, sorting through privates to find the right ones for battle, no doubt Molly felt like that also, or at least felt it rather bizarre. "But why so interested, sir?" Molly asked, mouth turning down at the corners in expectation. The General smiled slyly, "Oh, no reason. But," He continued walking away and leant against the nearest van, "if you are ever in my domain, don't hesitate to give me a call, I could use some new recruits, the older men become slothful,"

"Well, what do you expect?" Molly sneered, "They _are_ men," her lip curled as chastisement slipped into her tone, thick and as acidic as vinegar on a wound which stung just the same to any men in the immediate vicintity. Agaliarept laughed silkily, "Another quality soldier-demons have, prejudice of the sexes," Molly rolled her eyes.

"I'm not prejudiced, show me a man that's worth my complements and admiration and I'll never utter another sexist comment in my years." I laughed.

"Not one man in this clearing is worth your admiration?" I asked.

"I didn't know you liked fishing, Red," Molly sniggered at her pun, "No, I don't see one _man_ worth my admiration, they all have their quirks. Besides, every man in this Quarry, except Leonard, have deserted or cheated on their wives or girlfriends." She did have a point...though I didn't see me getting dragged around the quarry like a doll. Molly glanced at me, cheeks blushing, "And though you weren't dragged around by those doxies...you...you said you used to be a man, so..." Molly cleared her throat and scuffed her boot in the loose stones.

Molly continued scuffing her boot, suddenly very coy and quiet; Agaliarept turned away from us to meet Integra, "Well, well, if it isn't the Ice Maiden, Integra Hellsing herself. How dazzling you are in person. I've heard so many stories of you, I hope all the stories are true," He tilted his torso stiffly in her direction.

"I'm glad you've heard of me, but I have no idea who you are," Integra was stressed, a cigar smoked a in her mouth, her voice was terse and edged with ice and irritation.

"The Mighty General, Agaliarept," Integra's eyes flashed and fell on Molly, who still shuffled her feet through the gravel, which did not help the situation, she looked incredibly guilty.

"And I think I might know who summoned you." Needless to say, Molly hadn't been high in Integra's favour since the incident with the obedient creature. Molly looked up, first shocked and then seething angrily; her lip curled and she shook her head, excusing herself to where Pip and Seras stood agitating each other.

"The witches summoned me. And they so kindly gave their lives to me," He smirked, "enough so that I might have a little holiday. Don't worry, I'm in no mood for mass murder, it gets boring, I'll have you know,"

"I'm afraid whether or not you intend on killing anybody doesn't come into it. You're a demon and could compromise everything we've been working for,"

"Oh, for Hell's sake!" He seethed, "I've spent the last five hundred years in Hell! Don't I deserve a break? Nothing's like it was," He grumbled quietly, "I spent over twenty years here last time, no-one suspected a thing, I just had to get new servants every five or so years, not even my lover suspected anything until the final three years. The only reason I returned to hell was because I was burnt at the stake before I could sustain myself again," He crossed his arms across his chest, hands tucked under his arms, eyes darkening with rage as a black, forked tongue darted out between his lips.

"I'm afraid we can't risk it," Integra answered coolly, exhaling smoke into the air as they eyed each other hatefully.

"Have you ever been married?" He asked suddenly, Integra blinked.

"I don't think that comes into it,"

"Well, you won't know what absolute hell I go through with that woman," Integra's jaw started to tick and the demon's nose shrank, snake-like slits replacing his nose, serpentine fangs growing down to his lower jaw, his eyes glowing the molten gold from earlier. He cleared his throat and his appearance became altogether more human-like the serpentine qualities disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"I'm sure we could come to an agreement," He persisted relentlessly. Integra finished her cigar and dropped it, stomping it out angrily, "No, there will be no agreements with untrustworthy demons!" She snapped, finally losing her cool. The demon's eyes flashed but he cleared his throat and continued.

"Alright, but, I'm afraid, Alucard has more say in the matter than you, Integra, that and the little Demoness over there," integra glanced over to Molly, she pulled an apple out of her coat- her carrying fruit around with her on our missions had turned into a habit, supposedly to cleanse her pallet.

"You'll have to explain a little more than that,"

"At my summoning the Demoness and Alucard were the strongest there, only those two can command me. If Alucard says jump, I'll jump, as it were; if the Demoness decides she wants me to kill you, I will," He grinned, Integra glanced over towards Molly, obviously, for a split second, thinking that Molly had asked him or implied that she wanted her boss killed. "You'll go through quite a bit of bother sending me back anyway, I don't die easily, so really all you can do is wait,"

"That won't stop us from trying, Alucard, kill him," I grinned, finally something else to do rather than stand around aimlessly. Jackal was in my hand before she even finished her sentence, I knew that tone all too well, and how I loved it. Half a dozen shots echoed around the Quarry, Jackal hummed and I grinned at the distorted, twisted body on the ground. My grin fell as Agaliarept stood back up and his head and chest healed itself before our very eyes, a grin spreading across his face.

"Told you, killing me will not be a walk in the park," I replaced Jackal in my duster irately. "You're wasting bullets. Try a week's constant torture and beheading- and that would destroy_ one_ of my anchors," He 

smiled smugly as Integra massaged her temples, "Why is the occult so damned difficult?"

"Probably because reality is so simple," He answered in a sickeningly cheerful tone. "Well, if you don't want me here, I'm sure I can find something else to do," He started to walk away, talking as he went, "Though it makes more sense to keep The Demon General of Hell in your sights rather than let him loo-" An irritated snarl escape Integra's lips as her fists clenched and her eyes narrowed.

"Fine, but, should you get the notion to kill innocents, Alucard and Molly will rip you to shreds!" Agaliarept turned and bowed stiffly.

"If Alucard or the Little Demoness commands it..." I nodded briefly, "Then I shall have to stay- oh, what a pity," he laughed dryly, bowed to Integra and I in turn and introduced himself to Pip and Seras.

"I hope he leaves soon," Integra snarled, reaching into her suit and pulling out another cigar.

"That isn't a good habit for a human," Molly appeared behind Integra as she made to cut off the end, only for her to jump and cut it in half. Integra's jaw ticked hard as she pulled out another cigar and cut off the end. "My habits are none of your concern," _Obviously trying to get back into my good-books after the incident with the creature, _she thought furiously.

"Humans are very susceptible to cancers, Integra, as you should know from losing one of your soldiers to it only a few weeks ago! I'm not pathetically trying to claw my way back into your good-books with fake concern, but I am actually concerned for you wellbeing. And, it may have slipped your attention, but my name is absent from your pay-roll, I have no need of grovelling, nor is it habitual for me. I'm volunteering and can leave whenever I want to!" Molly's eyes narrowed aggressively, the atmosphere suddenly cold and dark with mutual disagreement. Integra glanced towards her out of the corner of her eye, lighter underneath the tip of the cigar; she sighed and lit the end regardless of Molly's concerns.

"Wipe the blood from your face, Molly, you are not a monster. Even Alucard is a neater diner than you," Molly clicked her tongue, shaking her head.

"I didn't realise there was etiquette to eating humans, I'm _sorry_," She grumbled wryly as she darted behind a van to wash her face.

"What are we doing with the witnesses?" I asked as Master and Servant stood alone.

"What anyone would do in this situation, Peter and Izcarius are at the hospital at the moment rigging the tox reports. To anyone reading the file it'll seem that all the living witnesses took a hallucinogenic, the fact that all their stories will be practically the same could be put down to coincidence, I suppose, but science never lies," Integra exhaled smoke into the air, I noticed the smell wasn't familiar, it was stronger and nowhere near as sweet as her usual cigars had been. Though, in her stressed condition, who could blame her for moving on to something stronger? "There are the bodies we'll have to account for, obviously. We'll frame the witches, that seems the only way to explain it all. Izcarius and Peter are going to have a busy week; they'll have to do all the autopsies or at least write up the notes to go with the alibi. What sort of condition were the witches' bodies in?"

"Not good, I should imagine, their demises were caused by our new friend. All were drained of blood, I'm not sure what else; and then there is the slight problem that they look a couple days old," Integra pulled a face as she took a heavy drag on her cigar.

"Izcarius and Peter will have to work on them then," she exhaled another lungful of smoke and looked at me quizzically, her features softened, "I can't even mention him, can I?"

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," I answered icily, my eyes settling on Molly as she stepped out from behind a van and jumped up onto the bonnet, Pip, Seras and the Demon quickly joining her.

"Doctor Fauster-Oh, come off it, Alucard! I've known you practically all my life, I know that face," I glanced down at Integra over my sunglasses.

"What face?" She rolled her eyes, something so very out of character for her.

"A blank though cold look you seem to acquire when you're trying not to acknowledge something you find distasteful," she took another drag on her cigar as gravel crunched under tyres and a black Mercedes came down from the road and stopped just short of us. "Speak of the devil," She muttered under her breath, she smiled as the blond weasel popped out of the car and walked around to join us, his tall, brunette friend setting about talking to Molly and seeing to the wound along her chest. "Good evening-"

"Faust," I snarled. Faust smiled stiffly.

"Where's our Little Blue Fiend?" He asked pleasantly, my hand tingled and Jackal seemed to be calling to me. The image of Molly strangling him with his own tourniquet didn't seem to calm me down, all I wanted to do was rip his head off and feed him to the dogs. "I need to run another test-"

"Surely you've run out of tissues samples to take and places to stick needles?" I asked angrily. Faust's trite features turned into a smirk as he replied, "Oh, you'd be surprised," My hand moved to my duster before I could stop myself, but a glare from Integra steadied me and I stopped hesitantly. Molly looked up from her perch on the car and jumped down as Peter reassured her needlessly that her wound was healing fine, a sombre and mistrusting glare taking over from the pleasant lopsided smile she had worn before.

_Do you have a problem with her sharing secrets with me, Alucard? Jealous? _

_**Why would I be jealous of a pathetic, snivelling scumbag like you, Faust? No, I loathe you because you use her.**_

_Don't you use her too?_

_**She volunteers her usefulness. At least I don't fake friendship, lull her into a false sense of security!**_

_Neither do I, it just so happens that I like her all the more when she's useful to me and lulling? What about you, you serenade her with your power; a flash of your mercilessness is thrilling to her, haven't you seen the way she looks at you after a fight? _

"Molly! How wonderful, you're looking well!" He grinned, opening his arms for an embrace- something they used to do before they left for the trip to the south. His embrace was met with cold indifference and Faust dropped his arms with a wavering smile; Molly nodded to him, I noticed her smirk as he turned his head back to talk to Integra and my attention was caught by red lines and bruises along his neck, Molly and I shared a knowing smile. _**I could hold him down if you want? **_

_Believe me; nothing would give me more pleasure than plucking out his jugular and wrapping it around that neck of his. _

"Hello, Izzy, was you trip eventful?" She asked coolly, her mouth set in a down-turned expression. Faust grinned.

"It was boring, but pleasant to know that my brother left me all his worldly goods-" Oh, God, the dishusting human thought money would ensure Moly's interest! Why would he think money meant anything t her? She practically lived like a hermit before joining Hellsing! "-£950,000 worth of estate and plots throughout the country, flats in London, villas in Franca and Spain...Life is good isn't it?" Molly's lip curled slightly, but she smiled and nodded as pleasantly as she could. "I shall have to buy you lunch some time, someone as beautiful and lovely as you deserve a good lunch, you'd enjoy that,"

"Oh, rather!" She answered sarcastically, the peripheries of her voice tingeing with disdain and loathing at his constant complements. Faust's smile faltered, "Maybe next week, then?" Molly shrugged, "Good,"

Agaliarept appeared at my elbow, only an inch or so shorter than me and glared down at Faust, "I thought I smelt weasel, and I was right," he snarled. Faust blinked quizzically as he looked up at the two tall occult creatures- both of which hating him- and he seemed to shrink in size. Now, that put a spring in my step. There are stages to a man losing his confidence; he'll start with a crisp voice, standing perfectly straight with a look on his face that says, "The world adores me and you will bend to my will," and then his voice will become chipped with nerves, his shoulders will sag, he'll start to wring his wrists and finally he'll go away. Faust didn't 

take the hint.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Izcarius Fauster, who might you be?" _I sense a "your worst nightmare" coming on, _Came Molly's jovial reply, I laughed inwardly.

"I am The General of Hell itself, the Great Agaliarept. I believe this is where we shake hands," Agaliarept offered his hand, the neurotic doctor before him took his hand, shaking with a yelp as the Demon squeezed his hand in a warning grasp, "I know a person by looking at them, I don't trust you, you're tainted with demon and your shifty," Glad someone agrees, god knows it took Molly long enough. I thought sardonically. "No, not tainted, you _stink_ of demon, so either you're this unfortunate demoness' mate, or your family has a long history with demonic dealings," Faust flinched.

"I d-don't th-think t-that's relevant, sir, my family b-business is none of your concern," The neurotic doctor stuttered, the demon sniggered at the pathetic winces and stutters of the weasel in front of him. Agaliarept pulled out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter; he offered the box to Molly, "Care to join me in a friendly smoke?" Molly sneered in answer, shaking her head stiffly.

"I would prefer not to pollute my body, thank you," The General scoffed as he lit the cigarette and pocketed the lighter.

"You think it will kill you?"

"I'd rather not risk it, to be entirely honest,"

"Scared by a cigarette, like a fool you do not know your own strengths- how can you be a keen fighter if you hold yourself back?"

"I get by," Molly's voice was chipped with fragments of anger, her tone slowly becoming colder and more chilling, her eyes narrowing as the blue turned darker, the pink turned more red and her pupils turned to slits. "You 'get by', just like a woman, perhaps you let your friend do all the killing? You sit back and relax?"

"No, I fight,"

"When it suits yo-" Molly slapped him, his head turning to the side with the force as she beared her fangs and hissed. Agaliarept backslapped her, "You disobedient whore!" He backslapped repeatedly her in return, Molly's cheeks both glowed red, her lip split. Molly's calm was lost immediately, Agaliarept made to slap her again. Her punch hit hard, his head knocked sideways with the blow as both of them hissed and snarled at each.

Molly's eyes were alight with rage and Agaliarept's entire face distorted into a serpentine snarl, Molly found her sword and cut across his torso and stabbed him; he grabbed onto her and threw her over his shoulder, her body crumpelled against the side of a van, her head smearing blue-black blood over the door; this did not improve her mood. "Molly, get a grip of yourself!" Integra roared as Molly moved into a crouching position and pounced, sword held high over her head in two hands as she brought the blade down into his shoulder and angled her head to the side to catch the other shoulder in her jaws. He punched her repeatedly in the stomach and still she didn't let go, he bared his fangs and made to sink them into her exposed neck. "General, leave her alone," I ordered at a snarl, my mouth moving away to bare my teeth, Agaliarept fell still, but Molly carried on tearing at him, blood spattering Integra and Faust. Integra paled, "Molly, I swear to God, get a bloody grip!"

I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her kicking and snarling away from the demon as the bite marks healed and he pulled out the sword. Molly snapped her jaws like an aggressive animal, saliva flew from her mouth a portion of which falling on the cigarette on the ground, the cigarette frothed and smoked and finally disintegrated. "Alucard, be careful, her bite is poisonous!" Faust called, stepping forward and donning is charm like a coat, "Calm down, Molly, you're fine, shhh," Molly grinned sadistically, calmed down enough for the doctor to venture further forward and then snapped her jaws at him, grazing his wrist and licking her fang clean of his blood.

"Jesus!" The doctor cried, gripping his wrist pitifully, tears welling up in his eyes with the effort of not screaming. His wrist turned green, the veins protruding as the tips of his fingers turned black, Molly roared at him and turned her eyes to the unfaltering demon, he watched amusedly. "How come you're not in agony!?" 

Faust screamed as his fingers became stiff and black.

"Because I've built up an immunity to some strands of demon poison, hers being one of them," Agaliarept answered.

"How dare you hit me?" Molly shrieked, twisting and turning in my grip like a wild animal.

"Molly, calm yourself, now!" I ordered in her ear, she bristled but carried on fighting against me, "So be it."

I pushed my fingers against her spine, knowing that a long wound ran all the way up and down her back and that it was the most sensitive of all her injuries, she bristled again but carried on snarling and snapping at Integra and Agaliarept. I scratched my nails along the length of her spine, careful at first knowing that too much pressure would seriously damage her but, though her back arched and she shrieked at me instead, she still fought bitterly. Blood started to seep through her clothes as I ran my nails along the newly formed skin and she cried out in agony, writhing in my grasp but still fighting me. "I'll bloody kill you, Alucard!" She screamed turning her fangs to my arm, my fingers ripped in deep and she fell still before I could feel the sting of her poisonous fangs. Izcarius screamed on, sitting on his knees as Peter tried to calm him, the poison moving to his wrist and locking it in a rigid state, the skin blackening still. "Molly, come here," Agaliarept stepped towards Molly as she slouched in my grasp, panting and gasping. His fingers ran along her chin where her own fangs had sliced in her over-zealous state and touched the blood droplets to the wound. "You might want to put that in warm water for a while," he winked at the doctor.

Molly wriggled; my attention was brought back to her small form in my arms, her hair slowly becoming matted with her own blue-black blood and that scent, so disgusting though promising a bloody meal I couldn't forget. "Jesus!" She cried hoarsely, her fangs slowly receding into her gums, her usual temperament restored. She jerked away from me, twisting around to give me the coldest glare she could, "Molly, don't bother with your glaring, you need to be more obedient," Molly sneered, stepping away from me but faltering, her legs crumpling beneath her; she fussed as soon as my arms wrapped around her again and pulled her up to her feet.

"Don't you dare touch me!" She hissed vehemently, eyes flashing as I held her up; once again she tried to walk away but her legs gave out underneath her, shivers ran up and down her spine and her face paled in embarrassment- what is a soldier who cannot walk?

"Molly, let me help you-" Faust returned to his feet and slipped his arm under her arms and made to lift her, Molly cringed violently.

"No, Faust, I'll take her," I interjected coldly, slipping one arm behind her knees and cradling her like a doll, her bones jarring my ribs as the stiff, unanimated limbs of a doll would. "This is incredibly humiliating!" Molly hissed to me, her eyes flashing maliciously, her fangs lengthening again; my fingers rested at her spine again, she immediately quietened.

"Better," I smirked, speeding up to return to the aircraft, the metal of the trap silent beneath my feet as I placed Molly down, her feet brushing the metal gracefully as she regained her balance and stumbled over to the bench. I removed my hat, shaking rain from the rim and dusting off my coat while Molly ran her hand through her long hair, hand quickly becoming stained with her own blood. She shook her head and swivelled around with her legs up on the bench with her, "Are you annoyed with me, Blue?" I asked, sitting down beside her as she made a point or turning herself further from me. I sighed exasperatedly, "Blue-"

"Kindly keep your thoughts to yourself, R-Alucard, I don't much care for them at this moment in time," She sniffed tersely and rested her head against the wall. We sat in silence, the rain pattering against the aircraft, the temperature slowly dropping as the sky rumbled and set free a torrent of rain and sparked with lightning. Still she said nothing; any movement I made was quickly rebuffed with a jerk of the shoulder or an impertinent scoff. "I can see the entertaining evening has just been cut short." Molly span around and glared at me.

"By whom? Which party ruined a perfected evening?" I raised an eyebrow.

"And I was under the impression you can handle pain," Molly sneered in reply, eyes burning.

"Pain is arbitrary, but you know that my spine is sensitive," Her brow furrowed with confusion, "And still you hurt me,"

"If it gets your attention," I answered indifferently.

"I apologise for my rash behaviour, but...something snapped." Once again I raised an eyebrow, refraining from revealing the smile that tugged at my lips. "Usually I can control my rage outside of the battlefield, but, it's his scent...anything he does I want to match, he stinks of egomaniacal male fascism and walks with one of those despicable swaggers. I want to out-do him and compete with him, which is probably customary with my race," she sighed, her body relaxing. "Tonight has been fun,"

"An evening preying on misguided witches and scum, one we shan't forget. It seems a shame it was ruined towards the end," Molly nodded.

"We forget it happened?" She offered enthusiastically, a soft smile returning to her burgundy mouth.

"I suppose so," I stood back up and returned to the trap, where the Scottish breeze hacked at my features and puddles splashed around my feet. Lightning cracked the night sky in two and the atmosphere continued to rumble and crackle, the rainfall increasing, droplets falling so fast they almost felt like needles to the skin. I turned my head as the sound of engines reached my ears during a brief halt in the rumblings, two Hellsing military vans pulled up alongside a cargo aircraft, ready to be loaded with the rest of the weapons and Faust's pretentious, black vehicle, it's journey far more drowsy and impractical, ambled past to stop in front of the cargo plane.

"I think it's unfair though," Molly voice echoed through the hull, thunder accompanying it and creating an eerie backdrop to her chilling tones.

"What's unfair?" I asked, turning to look over my shoulder only to find her standing beside, her eyes looking up at me almost in admiration, though I won't be so big-headed as to assume that.

"You know my taste, my scent, have tasted a fine wine-" I smirked, "oh don't pretend you don't agree. I've let few drink from me but all come back for more,"

"And what is your point, Blue?"

"I haven't quite had the pleasure of tasting you," I grinned broadly, she became bolder with every passing day we knew each other.

"There is a reason for that," Molly raised her eyebrows expectantly, "Perhaps because I _know _you'll come back for more, and you won't stop until you've had your fill," Molly's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed.

"How cruel, now my interest has doubled," She sniffed mournfully, "you've got my interest and now you think I shall lose it, well, I won't- and I haven't even tried it yet. Surely you can't taste that fabulous," I chuckled.

"Well, you'll never know," I answered, turning my attention back to the mercenaries as they rushed to and from the vans into the aircrafts, pushing past me impolitely, though muttering some form of apology. Molly fell silent; the click of her tongue signalling her mulling things over in her head and the air became thick with the scents I loved: dew, rain and Molly's blood- no matter how rank it was, the very scent caused me to reminisce of her flavour.

"Funny thing about wine tasting, you don't actually drink it," she chuckled as we sat back down, Seras sitting opposite us.

"And wine tasting is relevant...how?"

"I won't drink, it's quite obvious you are like me- preferring to be choosy with one's drinkers- but I will taste. If it's bold enough, a single drop would suffice," I laughed disbelievingly. Surely she couldn't be serious. Sensing my thoughts she added, "Well, shall we tally up the many times your tongue has become acquainted with my own flavour? The duel, this evening, That Night..." She pursed her lips expectantly and 

gave a triumphant smile.

"You won't give up, will you?" I shook my head as the trap closed and rain hammered against the hull, ringing throughout as the aircraft lifted slowly into the harsh breeze.

"No, I shan't." Molly lay down beside me, making sure to rest on her side, her head resting on her arms. "Besides, it seems only fair,"

"It does seem fair, but I've never been one to go with the rules," Molly pouted and closed her eyes.

"Well, if Seras tries torturing me with her foul music and you don't stop her, I'm afraid i will have to insist on some compensation," I chuckled under my breath, turning my eyes to Seras who sat next to Pip, purposefully enraging him by ignoring him, singing under her breath with her mp3 player in her ears as Pip tried to talk to her. The demon sat just beside them, arms folded, one leg crossed over his thigh, checking his nails in such a way that professed his boredom, he glanced towards Molly, his natural frown deepening.

"I'm sure you taste sweetly," Molly murmured, "Regal and sumptuous like a fine tokay- now that's something I must try one day, tokay, it's said to taste delicious,"

As we crossed the border, the rain stopped, the rumbling became faint and the aircraft's flight became smoother, the plane slipping through the air with but a slight hum of wind resistance. Conversations around the hull became clearer, though not more interesting, the demon decided that sitting in silence did no suit him and sat down beside me, commencing a conversation about the newest findings in the world. He asked questions mostly, about technology and social etiquette, he seemed appalled to here that manners had all but died in his half a millennia absence. Conversation halted and his eyes fell on Molly's sleeping form again, her movements stirred the pendant and it dropped from its resting place and knocked against the side of the bench repeatedly, I was surprised she'd didn't start awake, but she became still and I envied her for her soundless and unpenetrable stupor.

She was right though, I knew her taste and scent so well now, it was forever imprinted on my mind, she wouldn't drink from me, just as I had not drank from her...a droplet of blood seemed fair in return for a few dozen- more than fair, for _me_ at least.

Molly sat up as the plane touched down on the familiar Hellsing Estate soil, the engines halted and the mercenaries grouped to lift weapons out and clear away the night's equipment. "How long was I asleep?" She asked with a deep yawn.

"Four or five hours. Come on," Molly's eyes dilated as the trap opened slowly to reveal the Manor cast in the watery, golden light of sunrise, birds sang noisily amongst the hydrangeas and conifers and a shiver of repulsion ran up my spine. I removed my hat, remembering Molly's aversion to sunlight and escorted her across the fields, past the evidence of the funeral pyre, up the lawn and back into the Manor. "A quick drink before rest," She murmured to herself in the kitchen, dancing around the tiled floor, picking out a glass and filling it with filtered water.

"You are right," Molly glanced up from her pouring, "it does seem fair," she choked on her water, her eyes widening as she returned the water jug back to the fridge. She chuckled, sitting down at the breakfast bar.

"I was expecting at least another round of arguments," she chortled, draining her glass and observing me. She licked her lips, sighing contentedly.

"A drop is enough?" Molly smiled, nodding, a vague dreamy look taking over her expressions.

"Is it sumptuous? Is it bitter? Is it sweet or bold?" She giggled to herself, removing my hat and returning it to my head as I brought my finger to my mouth, removing my glove to bite the tip of my finger. A bead of blood broke to the surface as the skin underneath healed in an instant and Molly tilted her head back, tongue poised for a taste.

The droplet hit her tongue; a visible shiver ran through her and her tongue, for a split second, turned 

white. She looked up at me, looking slightly dazed, "I knew you'd taste good," She finally answered, curling her tongue to relive the taste repeatedly. "Devine, fabulous," she whispered. I laugh rolled in my throat as she deposited her glass in the dishwasher, still murmuring to herself. If I knew my blood would be met with such complements I might have let her taste me sooner, "Now you've got that taste in your mouth, no doubt you'll ask for more," She shook her head.

"As wonderful as you taste," she chuckled, "I've eaten enough for tonight," she bowed to me pleasantly, licking her lips cheerfully, "Rest well, my delicious fiend, no doubt we'll have something else to entertain us tomorrow," she paused in the doorway, "Oh, and thank you for letting me read that journal it was...interesting," Her hair disappeared around the door in a shimmer of red and blue and her steps echoed down the hall. I slowly made my way down to my chambers, my mind now troubled. She'd read the journal and my assumptions that she would remember were wrong, she still didn't remember... would anything make her remember? After lending her the journal, I gave up hinting and trying to get her to remember, it was quite obvious her mind had numbed itself of those past pains long ago.

**A/N: wooooot! Knackered! Sleep well! **

**Weirdunusualchick: Why do you read between the lines? :P heeeey, are you up for explosions? Well, if you are, we shall be seeing them sooooon. Yes! EXPLOSION!! Soon.**

**Hey, the soundtrack to mission:impossible 2 is reeeeally good!! Go listen, like...NOW! **

**Marie is on holiday, so I've betaed this myself, sorry if it isn't as good as usual, hope you will forgive me :D pleeeeeease. Anywho, have a good one! (be it evening or day)**

**xx**


	23. A new Development

**Chapter 23**

**Seras Victoria**

**A/N: I have not yet dabbled in the POV of Seras, but I think she'll live. Hey! I've just stumbled upon elfen lied...how similar are Lucy and Molly? Well, it's just the red hair and the mean-arseness when Lucy appear and kills people for revenge or what have you...hmm...anyway! Right, quick warnings: 1. This chapter may cause slight repulsion to the male race due to over exposure to "girly-time". If you wanted to skip this POV I'm sure you'll understand the rest of the story. Anyway, enjoy reading! Thank you for reviews: archsage soren, Fleeting Glance, Rabbott. And thank you Marie :D shall we get this party started? XD**

I love dreams, no matter how random and weird they are, they're always fun to think over once you're awake. What I hate about dreams is that things from the world around me warp them; like...say a tall, dark haired vampire were to open my coffin and tell me to wake up, that may alter my dreams and put me in one pissy mood.

Everything was wonderful, there were birds singing and Pip was doing the hula in the usual reed skirt and coconut bra and Leonard was wearing a saddle and being a horse...and then my Master steps out of the trees and goes on about Molly as he started to undress and pull on a hula skirt and bra. I jumped up and down madly, "What are you doing? Put your clothes back on!" I shouted, though couldn't help but admire his stomach and chest, the view slightly obscured by the coconuts but still as dreamy. "My, oh, my, I reckon you work out," I giggled. His milky skin was rippled with abs, two well-defined lines running down to form a saucy pelvis, a small line of hair ran from his navel and down in such a suggestive way I started to get hot. Only to find that Pip had strapped me to a spit and was turning me manically, "What are you doing, you French frog?!" I shouted, he popped an apple in my mouth and resumed spinning.

"Seras?" Master walked over, shaking his hips and dancing the hula, "Wake up," I blinked, wake up? But I was already awake...oh...so I was dreaming...

Master knelt down over my coffin, eyebrows raised with one of his amused smirks plastered on his face. I fumed silently; the dream was just getting good, I thought sourly, stretching my arms over my head and ruffling my hair, noting that I needed to quickly run a comb through it. "Pleasant dreams?" He asked as I stepped out of my coffin and picked up my comb. I faltered; there was something in his tone that made me wonder whether he knew I'd just seen him in a hula skirt- of course, he had been imaginary...damn. I shook my head, _oh, no, Seras, you ain't goin' down that road...Master-steak stays off the menu! _

"It was alright...weird and...slightly creepy," _Saved! Now he'll be thrown off...or, will just think I found him dancing around in a hula skirt weird and creepy. Yep, that save deserves a medal..._ A crowd cheered somewhere far off as I picked up my well-deserved medal. I resumed combing out my hair. Wait? What the hell is Alucard doing here?

"Master, why did you wake me up?" I watched him in the mirror carefully, he sat down on top of my coffin and I noticed a twitch of his brows signalling that he was thinking how to put something into words_. If this is about my drinking blood I shall smile and pretend to listen and then change the subject_, I thought.

"Molly woke me up," I frowned, placing the comb back on the table and turned back around as he continued, "She's..."He thought about how to put it while I finished off his sentence for him: _a spoil-sport? Uptight?- _"menstruating." Somehow I managed to choke on my own spit. _O...kay, I _

_definitely wouldn't have said THAT...um, what does a girl say to that? What am I meant to say!! _

"And that's my business why?" I asked, my cheeks heating up; if I thought that dream was weird it was nothin' compared to having this conversation with _Alucard_.

"She's never menstruated before, she's scared." A small laugh built in my throat but I was able to keep it under wraps as my Master shifted uncomfortably, suddenly very interested in how shiny and well-polished my coffin was - yeah, you bet your arse I polished it! "She's- So, you want me to help her out? Give her The Talk and educate her in the ways of a woman?" My master nodded. Urgh, this was just great! The one thing I had looked forward to about being a vampire was never having to give any children The Talk and now, here I was, giving the Talk to a practically grown woman- or was she? If she's never menstruated before, surely that means she's not developed- she really isn't in the breast department, but some people are just lucky, or unlucky, depending on how you looked at it (after all, huge breasts look completely ridiculous on a petite person and men were always wolf-whistling and spanking your arse if you were "lucky" enough to have tits.)

I sighed, fine_, I'll have to do it_, I snarled inwardly. "Where's her room?" Alucard's face took on a smile of relief and he stood up.

"I'm glad you agreed ,my final choice was Integra-" No need to explain his hesitation in asking Integra Hellsing to give Molly the Talk, it would be traumatic for many people: Master, Integra and Molly and anyone in the immediate vicinity. Alucard disappeared through my bedroom door and I had to jog to keep up with him, wondering if one day I might be able to walk through walls and spook passing soldiers- now that would be entertaining, Pip was the first on my list...

He lead me right down to the other end of the corridor, to the final room on the right, where I could hear the sound of a shower, and wisps of steam fluttered underneath the door. I pushed the door open and stepped into Molly's room cautiously, knowing that, since the mission last night, I wasn't really her favourite vampire- though, I'm never her favourite vampire, Alucard seems to have taken up that position. The bathroom door was open and the steam curled up to the ceiling, my eyes fell on her bed, where patches of blue-black dotted over her quilt. I skirted around a coffin in the centre of the room, which she hadn't used in quite a while judging by the thin film of undisturbed dust around the edges and top. I paused at the bathroom door, tapping my knuckles against the wood hesitantly.

"Alucard?" Molly's voice was slightly strained and it was obvious she was shaken. I popped my head around the door to see Molly's silhouette still in the shower, knees drawn up to her chin directly beneath the water.

"Urm, no, it's me," Molly sighed, sliding the door open at one end, standing up, her silhouette alien. I blinked, changes to her body shape immediately catching my eye. For one thing, she had tits and for another she had curves! Womanly curves! She popped her head around the shower door to look at me with large worried eyes. "Are you worried?" I asked, stepping into the shower room, Molly nodded her head speedily, "You don't need to be, it's a natural thing-" I glanced towards the door to see Alucard sitting in Molly's chair, calmly reading an old and raggedy looking book. I went back to the door but before I could ask him nicely to leave he stood up, probably reading my mind- sly bastard- "Molly, have you finished with the journal?"

"Yes, I have," She called back, stepping out of the shower and drying herself off. Master nodded and left without another word and I was kinda glad- who wants a guy to be standing next to you as you talk about girl-things?

I had to quickly return to my room to get some of the things I'd taken with me just in case- though I didn't need them anymore, not being able to procreate and all. I don't think I've blushed that much since my turning, every other sentence my cheeks started to burn as I quickly instructed Molly on how to use a tampon and answered any questions she had.

She appeared behind me as I stripped the sheets and piled them by the door ready to take to the utilities room upstairs. I turned around, jumping out of my skin as she smiled at me coyly, "What am I going to do about-" she gestured down to her bare chest.

"I've got a tape measure somewhere, put on a t-shirt, I'll be right back," I bundled the covers into my arms and walked back up the corridor towards the stairs and across another corridor to the utilities room beside the kitchen. I sorted through the covers quickly, putting them in a hot wash and resting for a moment against a reverberating tumble-dryer. The sound of a squeak of a shoe against the wooden flooring caught my attention and I looked up to see Walter carrying a basket of his own laundry, "Oh, good evening, Seras. You don't usually wake up this early," He rested his basket on the tumble dryer behind me and started to stuff white laundry in the washing machine, he checked his watch, "Definitely too early, you don't wake up until half an hour or so after sunrise,"

"I know, Master woke me,"

"Oh?"

"Mm, Molly needed my help with something," Walter paused, raising his eyebrows.

"How odd. I would've thought after your prank last night she wouldn't need your help with anything," he closed the machine door and turned the dial to 40 degrees. "Unless, of course, she's conned you into doing her laundry for her- which I highly doubt, Molly disagrees with having other people do things for her," I nodded.

"All I can say, really, is you're going to get quite a shock when you next see her," Walter raised an eyebrow, removing his monocle and cleaning it with the corner of his waistcoat, he glanced down to his watch again and sighed, his old face taking on an exhausted look, "Hey, Walter, why don't you go off and do something fun for a bit, I'll tell you when your washing's done," Walter chuckled, thin lips turning up at the corners.

"How very kind of you, I think I'll have a read, I'll be in the library," his black, shiny shoes squeaked as he turned and his crisp step echoed all the way down the hall. Walter loved working here, but at the same time, I thought he deserved a break or at least a basket of fruit with a thank you card tacked to the side. _Right, just enough time to grab a tape-measure, measure up Molly for future reference and someone can take her shopping for some new clothes...in the mean time she could go without I suppose. And then I shall check on the laundry and wake up Walter, that is, if he's asleep. Huh, I've never seen Walter asleep. _I wondered whether he snored like a grandfather and an image of the elderly people snoozing away in their armchairs in care-homes came to mind. Somehow, I couldn't picture Walter getting old. I knew he must be somewhere near seventy- at the very least- and yet he didn't really look _that _old, maybe sixty-two on a bad day, but all things considering he looked brilliant for his age. I wished I could look like that in fifty years time...

I giggled to myself. No, there was one thing I didn't need to worry about anymore: the price of Olay Regenerist. Yessiree, I was living the high-life, no wrinkles, no grey-hairs, no...life. Hmmm, maybe not _that _high, pretty average really. It would be higher if it weren't for the lack of humanity; yeah, i missed humanity...a lot! But at the same time, I'd rather be here now than dead- I wouldn't 

have met Pip otherwise...nor would I have met Molly, Walter, Integra, Graham, Leonard, Leroy, Carl, Baxter, Phil, Jared...the list was endless.

I missed Graham, he always used to say that I was the hottest dead chick he'd ever met, "Someone call a sex therapist: I'm thinkin' about turnin' necrophiliac!" being one of his favourite jokes as he slung his arm around my shoulders, hiding a flinch of pain as he coughed. He always used to level out my mood if I felt a little...saddened or pissed off. And, let's face it, Pip's jokes aren't nearly as funny as Graham's, nor are they as dirty- Graham's jokes were so wrong they seemed to be right.

I fumbled around my desk drawer and found a tape measure, the plastic cool in my fingers. I toyed with it, wrapping it around my fingers, looping it as I made my way back down to Molly's room; I came to the door, paused at hearing Master's voice.

"It does seem strange that your body chooses now to develop, I wonder what could have spurred it,"

"Well, you've already said that I could be due another one of those purge things, what with my sensitive eyes, ears, nose and taste, my aversion to sunlight, my wounds opening up again and, of course, this new development,"

"It's a good development," I heard master laugh.

"You would say that, I see no advantages to it, I have no need of my reproductive organs- I won't let a man touch me,"

"You can't say that, you'll do it without even thinking-"Molly started to snarl, "of course, once you've found the right man, I didn't mean to imply that you are some kind of-"

"Doxy? A harlot? A whore? A nymphomaniac?" Master laughed again, probably nodding and the pair fell silent, "What if this is completely unrelated to that?"

"What gives you that idea?"

"My wounds are healed; my senses- though acute as they are- are not so acute that they cause discomfort...I feel at ease,"

"And what do you think did that?"

"Your blood," Molly answered quietly, "it has postponed any torment that may be waiting for me," Master let her drink his blood? Why would he do that?

"may i see your back?" Molly murmured in reply and there was a moment of almost complete silence except the rustling of material. Molly hissed, "I thought you said your back was fine,"

"The wounds are healed, my back is still sensitive," Master chuckled and they remained silent again.

"Your right, even the wound I gave you last night has healed nicely,"

"Indeed," Molly huffed in agreement. I heard Molly rustling through clothes again, "When my wounds last opened up, mother mixed some blood with salt water and bathed the wounds and dropped a droplet under my tongue. By the next morning my back was fine and I'd grown a full three inches,"

"What are you implying?"

"Certain types of vampire blood heal me, I'm not implying you were my mother's or my master at any point, you can't have been- you've been here too long," I cleared my throat and knocked on the door, Molly sat on the edge of the table and my Master rested in the chair beside her and he looked at me with an amused smirk, _**Did you hear anything of interest, Police Girl? **_I felt my cheeks redden and quickly side-stepped his mental question. "Molly, I've got the tape measure," Molly smiled and jumped off the table, "I don't suppose you've got a pen and paper?" she nodded, opening a drawer in the table, quickly tearing a piece of paper on the top off and stuffing it in her trouser pocket while flashing me a brief though false smile. "It's been a while since I've done this so you'll have t' bare with me, 'kay?" Molly shrugged, lifting up her arms as I wrapped the tape measure under her bust and wrote the figures down on the paper and then looped the tape measure over her breasts. I jotted that figure down and started to work out what size she was.

Master glanced over, "How do you figure out the size?" He asked, "And how did you learn this?"

"I worked at Marks & Spencer's for a while before going in to the Police Academy, I had to measure quite a lot of women, I've just forgotten ho-" I remembered and quickly wrote down her bra size, 30C, "That must have been weird, waking up with breasts,"

"Quite, I thought I'd possessed someone else's body or I was dreaming," I smiled as I wound the tape measure back up and placed it on the table.

"You could go into town tomorrow, I suppose, and buy yourself some new lingerie," Molly raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, lingerie- how thrilling," She answered in a monotone.

"Oh, c'mon, you've never looked in shops and thought 'I wonder what I'd look like in that negligee or bra or'-"

"No, I haven't," She answered, though I picked up on a tone in her voice that I used to hear in my school-friends' voices when we went lingerie shopping where they saw me in a pink, frilly bra. "Anyway, I've got some more errands to run, I'll leave you to it," I exited quickly, the pair of them seemed to want to talk more in-depth, and obviously didn't want little ole' me standing there. I thought it best to check on the washing and quickly tidy my room- after my little scavenger hunt it was left in a complete mess and mess got on my nerves after a while.

**Alucard**

**A/N: you may uncover your eyes boys...**

**Seras **disappeared through the door, I noticed that she was thinking about Graham again, this irked me: she shouldn't spend so long mourning for someone, it would only complicate things for her. Vampires can live for centuries, if she harboured emotions for the dead she would most certainly end up insane. Molly looked 

down to her chest, "Strange to think they just grew overnight," she muttered more to herself than to me. I chuckled as she puzzled over them, "Are the average sized?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I don't want large breasts, large breasts attract too much attention- male attention- which I do not need," I chuckled.

"Well," I tilted my head to the side as Molly manoeuvred herself so her body was directly in front of me, "I would have to say average, for this day and age anyway," Molly sighed in relief.

"Good, the last thing I need is false affections," She sniffed, running her hands over her vest to straighten out creases and walked around me to don her overcoat which hung on the chair I occupied. "Or any affection for that matter," I shook my head. No doubt under her oppositions of affection there was a deep longing, she had never known affection, love or tenderness- surely she wished for it, if not just to see what it felt like.

"Alucard?" She asked after a moment of pacing, her head tilted to the side, one corner of her mouth tilting in, not a smile, but suspicion.

"Mmm,"

"Did you know your blood would do that?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Though her suspicions were directed at me, it was nice to know that the sudden surge of hormones had brought back Molly's usual suspicion and mistrusting demeanour. "I had no idea that my blood was so potent that it would make you sprout breasts," Molly folded her arms across her chest self-consciously, eying me dubiously.

"I suppose that's the reason you were cagey in the first place and agreed on a single drop-"

"Slightly because I didn't know what might happen and also because I don't want you being able to get into my head, just as you hate it when I'm in yours," Molly sniffed huffily and jumped back up onto the table, the vest moved up around her waist, not used to curves and having usually been tight along her almost shapeless torso. She pulled it down over her stomach, her brow creasing into a deep frown, "I really don't like this," She muttered, straightening out her vest again.

"You'll get used to it, humans usually grow slowly, you've grown suddenly- it'll take time to adapt,"

"In the mean time, that weasel will be snooping around asking how it came to be that I suddenly matured. He'll be stealing blood samples and badgering me for cervical smears,"

"If he badgers you, I'll make sure to _talk_ to him on your behalf," Molly chuckled evilly, her lip curling slightly.

"I don't think I've ever hated someone so much. And I used to _like _him, surely someone must have drugged me for those few weeks of insanity and naivety," She sighed, pale blue eyes shining and glistening in the luminescent lights. The lights flickered, Molly and I both looked up as the bulbs dimmed and the hum of refrigerators, freezers, washing machines and dish washers became silent. "Not again," I snarled.

"Didn't Integra get electricians in?" Molly asked, she moved to her bedside table to light the candle, "Where are my matches?" I quickly scanned the table and found them behind a jar of her bolts. Molly turned as I stepped forwards to lit the candle for her, she jumped, "You move so quietly," she grumbled as a blush crept up her neck and spread across her lily-white flesh as I struck a match and lit the candle a smirk spreading across my lips, "I try not to forget that, but I'm not used to silent attacks,"

"So men usually come screaming at you as they attack?" I asked, turning my attention inwardly to the electrical problems the Manor seemed to be having.

"Not literally, by their thoughts are so loud with ferocity I could hear them a mile off," she paused, "slight exaggeration, but you understand,"

"And you can't hear my thoughts?"

"Only when you're directing them to people, if you and Integra are talking about something private-" She could hear telepathic conversations? That would mean she's heard mine and Integra's more private affairs,"-oh, don't look at me like that, I try to block what you say, but it's much harder stopping things going in than coming out. I don't so much read minds as accidentally listen; subconsciously, people direct thoughts at you: insults or observations and I just pick up on them. It's mostly emotions I feel and the only emotions I can feel from you are hatred, jealousy and the excitement you feel as you rip people apart," I sighed inwardly, at least my own personal thoughts were not in jeopardy, though her feeling my emotions- however stunted they were- was slightly disquieting.

"Shall we see what's wrong?" I asked, Molly nodded, slipping on her boots and started to braid her wet hair loosely down her back. She followed me quickly up to Integra's office, shouts echoed down the hall as we came to her door, the sound of Faust's pathetic snivelling sending hatred up and down my spine. Molly's eyes narrowed as I stepped through the door, snorting as she pushed open the door. "How could the power be out _again?!_" Integra roared, slamming her fists on the desk, "I even got the electricians to set up a completely different circuit for the medical rooms!"

"I-I have n-no idea what's wrong," Faust stuttered, wringing his wrists rapidly as she continued to shout at him.

"Anyone would think you're doing this on purpose! Without electricity we've got our guard down! We're easily attacked! Maximus is planning something and do you know what we really don't need at the moment?"

"W-what?"

"No security!" She roared slamming her fists on the table again, eyes ablaze. Molly joined me at my side as we waited for Faust's verbal abuse to come to an end.

The lights flickered and turned back on. Integra's features were thrown into light, her facial expression similar to a seething dragon and the smoke from her cigar wafted up around her features in such a way that it seemed her nostrils had been smoking. "You're excused," She added after a few more minutes of inhaling cigar smoke and gnawing at it roughly. Faust scurried out of the office quickly, holding his wounded wrist to himself. The door snapped behind him and Integra motioned for us to sit down in two chairs in front of her.

"I was about to call for you," She exhaled smoke and sat back in her chair, "We think we might know where Maximus is," Molly's body went rigid and a smile spread across my lips, to finally be able to sink my teeth into that bastard...I would enjoy it tremendously.

"Though, we think it may be a decoy," Integra popped her cigar back into her mouth and studied Molly's facial expression, "he used a credit card, of all things," Molly snorted.

"Decoys are a waste of time," she sighed, sitting back in her seat quite comfortably now her wounds had healed.

" My own thoughts exactly," I added, "except that this decoy may sing like a canary once Molly and I get at him,"

"Supposedly, that is if this decoy doesn't involve a miniature army," Trust Integra to think we couldn't handle these pathetic, worthless freaks. "They'll be at The Ritz for the annual charity ball in four days time, which gives us two days to collect our thoughts and one day for setting up in the hotel,"

"I suppose you'll be sending Pip and some of the others to go," Molly crossed her legs and arms, a 

twitch of her lips and nose signalling annoyance or disappointment.

"Molly, I thought you were supposed to be intelligent?" Integra stubbed out her cigar in a glass ashtray, "Can you honestly see Pip and Leonard behaving in The Ritz?" Molly smiled sheepishly, "Obviously Alucard and you will be going. You both seem to fit in with the upper classes far more than Pip or any of the other mercenaries could," Molly chuckled.

"The Ritz?" She asked excitedly, "As in the most elegant and prestigious hotel in London?" Integra nodded.

"Of course you'll have to find something...elegant and beautiful to wear for the ball- it is a three thousand pound a plate charity event, and turning up in a blood stained overcoat and a tight vest won't do you any favours," Integra paused and scanned Molly as she started to fidget. _Alucard, have you noticed something different about Molly? _

_**Yes, she seems to have miraculously matured a few years in one night. **_Integra shook her head and cleared her throat, "Will you be able to find something more fitting?" Molly nodded enthusiastically. I likened her manner to when she first arrived to find out she would be staying "in a real bed", her eyes lit up with a child-like glee and her mouth turned up at both corners, her nose wrinkled slightly. The dull light thrown from the sconces along the walls cast fleeting shadows across Molly's face, the shadow beneath her lower lip creating the illusion that her lips were fuller.

"Certainly, though I'll need to pick up my things from the apartment. Perhaps Pip could drive me tomorrow morning?" Integra nodded.

"As long as you fit in with the crowd, do what you like," The glimmering of moonlight filtered through thick clouds and glistened on Integra's circular glasses, the glass flashing as it captured and animated the light. "It is a formal event; I would prefer that any murders were kept under wraps, minimal casualties- the usual. And if you have to use guns, can we use silencers?"

"I prefer knives and arrows anyway," Molly answered indifferently, her voice dreamy- probably already picking out what she was going to wear and how she was going to kill our target.

"Well, I don't," Integra answered, "Use your head, Molly, bloodstains can be awfully suspicious." Molly blinked out of her daze and nodded with set determination at her brow.

"And what if it isn't Maximus?" I asked apathetically, "Are we allowed to use some techniques to...persuade this decoy?"

"Mmm, can we cajole him with something other than our wits and good-looks?" Molly sniggered, Integra shook her head exasperatedly and massaged her temples.

"By all means, find out where these harvesting laboratories are," she motioned with her hand vaguely, " how many people are involved, who we need to kill...etcetera, but- please- do not leave evidence of your little 'cajoling' sessions," I grinned, so it wouldn't be all smoke and mirrors after all, there will be some blood along the way. I hadn't done any under-cover work since the Millennium's plot for chaos, and the idea of donning the personality of Mister Brenner sent shivers down my spine- a new deception- and, even better, Molly would be part of it. I wondered how she would fair concealing her identity, something that seemed near impossible with her unfashionably long length and conspicuously flamboyant hair; and, of course, there was the matter of her sensitivity to light and her eerie eye-colour. It actually seemed near impossible that she would be able to conceal herself, but, Molly had worked miracles before...

"The Ritz is very busy this time of year- especially with the ball- so, at such short notice, we were only able to acquire one suit- and even that took patience and a bloody miracle," Integra drummed her fingers on the chair as she continued, "so it would be best if you were to pose as a couple," I raised an eyebrow, Molly blushed deeply, "But that won't be a problem I presume?"

"No, that'll be fine," I answered, Molly nodded contentedly.

"Besides, you'll probably want to rest during the day, we could take turns sleeping," Molly uncrossed and cross her legs again as her vest rose up over her hips and rested at the curve of her waist. She straightened out her clothes again, muttering in harsh whisper.

"Both of you will be ready in two days time, I hope?" Molly nodded rapidly and a slight tilt of my head affirmed her, "Right, well, I need to make a call to verify these tickets. Molly, what name will I be putting you under?" Molly paused as she stood up.

"Jollee Orange," she chortled, Integra did not look impressed, "Marina Abendroth," she answered at a sigh.

"Marina?" I asked, "Where did you come up with that?" I asked as Integra dialled a number and silently dismissed us.

"A German woman once stayed with us at The Sanctuary, after a few drinks she used to go on about her old neighbour, Marina Von Hauswisch, and how her cats kept her up all night. The surname 'Abendroth' is derived from German meaning dusk, and dusk just seems fitting, doesn't it?" She answered matter-of-factly as I passed through the door and she caught up behind me.

"And who are you?" She asked after a moment.

"J.H Brenner, but you may call me James," I answered with a quiet chuckle, Molly's face lit up with a smile.

"Well, Mister Brenner- may I call you James?- I can see this is the beginnings of a beautiful friendship," Molly interlocked arms with me as we carried on down the hall, she hummed pleasantly, the static around her buzzing excitedly. Yes, it really was going to be a beautiful friendship.

**A/N: Right, in my research into finding out why Alucard chose J.H Brenner (supposedly derived from James Herbert Brennan, a writer) I also stumbled upon the fact that one: Pip is dead after the millennium trouble (You're probably all rolling your eyes or screaming at the computer because I've ruined it for you- don't hate me! My funding for "research" is limited- and I can only get hellsing online, my comic store closed down and moved somewhere obscure and I don't like giving out my card details, hurumph) two: he died saving Seras and...the next volumes look reaaaaaaally fun!! I want them, like..now! ¬¬ I have 1, 2 and 3 and have read a little of four online, but computers are slow and I like to flick through the pages quickly, not click and wait for aaaaaaages, damn technology not up to Beth-standards.**

**Anyway, I've got some fun scenes coming up! :D The Ball, for one thing and allllll the others, which you will see soon XD yes, life is good, vair gut. And I've written like three/four chapters and not updated, I love it! **

**I'm so cruel muahahahaa! I would really like me some reviews, not because I want reviews, but because I want some criticism or something...or praise, praise is good me eats it for breakfast roar with me lucky charms :D now, I like lucky charms, my cousin brought some back from his holiday over the water a little while ago- see? He has now ensured birthday presents for himself for at least five years! :D Who says I'm uncooperative? Get me something to eat and I'm plenty cooperative...as long as I don't have to stand up...XD c'mon, you knew it was coming. **

**Hey, when was the last time you (i.e the reader) went to the cinema? I haven't been in aaaaages, mainly because the cinema is so friggin' far away now...buuuuuut...mehness. Is Kungfu Panda good? I'd like to see it, if not for the fighting animals for the kungfu "grasshopper" jokes. :P:P:P or the cool moustaches. OH! One last thing...explosions for Archsage Soren...CHECK! Believe meeeee- MANY EXPLOSIONS. Just not now...but later, HELL YEAH. What is a hellsing fic without at least a LITTLE explosion? Or at least some glass breaking. **

**Yes, this is what teenagers find entertaining now: Glass smashing, houses exploding and just general destruction. I like the destruction, Kieran once made something explode in chemistry, now that was hilarious- don't worry, no one was hurt...¬¬ snort but, Kieran did learn a valuable lesson: when it comes to chemistry, do what the Teacheeeer tells you. Lol. Anyone set fire to someone's tie? That's supposed to be fun, I have a reliable source...muahahahaaa. anyway, beth is schtooming now. **

**Criticism of a constructive nature would be well appreciated :D **

**Byeeeeeee**


	24. Tu T'emmerdes!

**Chapter 24**

**Captain Pip Bernadette**

Ze engine 'ummed contentedly, no ozzer noise accompanied us as we carried on down ze A12, Molly sat in complete silence, eyes protected by a pair of mirrored sunglasses. I cleared my zroat, "So, are we just picking up your zings?"

"Yes, I need to collect some clothes and, seeing as I've been here longer than I first thought, the last of my weapons and belongings," I rolled my eyes, oh, we would be 'ere all day. "Don't worry, there isn't much: a few more guns, bolts, books and clothes," Molly seemed to read my mind, non, she does. I wondered what it would be like to be 'er, what 'er mind was like, how it worked and 'ow she zought. Ze way her eyes flitted about while she was in unfamiliar territory, anyone would zink she was constantly calculating 'ow to escape...what to do...

"Pip, I sense your mind is elsewhere, I would hate for you to miss this turn off," I blinked, bugger, I was in the wrong lane. I swapped lanes 'astily, a chorus of horns 'ooting behind me angrily.

"Yeah, yeah, why don't you learn how to drive, uh?" I muttered, turning onto ze next junction. "So," I started, glancing over to 'er new body, "'ow did zat 'appen?" I asked. Molly snorted.

"See? I knew you'd ask eventually. My French friend, is that any of your concern? Whether or not I sprouted breasts and a waist overnight does not alter anything- does it even matter? Is it a new weapon for us to use?"

"Oh, I don't know, flash zem to ze right people-" Molly shot me an angry glare, "I see you are not in a good mood zis morning,"

"_Bien sur_, I had to get up early and all the soldiers keep whistling at me," Molly's cheeks started to turn red, she scratched her eye beneath 'er sunglasses so as to hide her blushing.

"Don't you find eet complementary? I mean," I picked up my slush-puppy from ze holder in ze dashboard and took a long slurp, "if I 'ad women whistling at me and winking, I would feel very...content," Molly snorted again, crossing her legs, her skirt's slit falling over her knee to reveal her pale legs.

"It is complementary, but I don't enjoy false male affections-I don't enjoy male company- I find it's more sexist and derogatory." I shrugged, well, she would. "We'll have to use the back-way, the entrance is covered with cameras and I don't think it wise being seen, something tells me we should stay undercover as much as possible,"

"Zat's fine with me,"

"You can park up in the garages at the back, I'll show you when we're there," I nodded; zis was going 

to be really boring- not zat I am so off my 'ead I enjoy fighting, like Alucard, but it was still going to be very boring.

Molly stayed silent for ze rest of ze journey, flinching quietly and cussing under'er breath as shards of light flitted zrough ze sides of her sunglasses or under ze large black hat Walter had found for 'er. _She never used to be so sensitive to sunlight, _I thought, _maybe she's finally turning into a vampire, or maybe she 'as meningitis! Zat would not be fun at all._

Zough we had started ze journey at a ridiculously early eight- to which I 'ad 'ad to wake up at six- in ze morning, we didn't arrive in Ipswich until 12, due to traffic delays and accidents and, of course, illegal immigrants. I found it funny zat Molly lived smack-bang in ze middle of ze redlight district, even during ze day zere was evidence of its nocturnal activities- smashed bottles and cars dropping off scantily clad women. Zough, Molly 'ad been in zat industry anyway but it was quite obvious she 'ad landed 'erself some of ze better deals.

'er block of flats looked barely five years old, garages lined ze sides of ze ground-floor with shiny metal doors and CCTV cameras everywhere, ze front of ze building was bare except a large door controlled by buzzers and key-cards. Ze strip of building running up from ze door was all clean glass and white brick, landings to different apartments were visible zrough ze nine-floor window, ze staircase modern and artistic and hanging from wires. I guessed zat every apartments had a balcony, as zey dotted ze front of ze building and ze sides and three floors up zere was a garden for ze inhabitants on a separate portion of ze building and, no doubt, zere was another at ze very top. Ze building shone like a gem in amongst soft mosses and colourful pebbles, it looked completely out of place compared to all ze grey, dreary buildings surrounding it. The grey buildings seemed to slope, to hunch and melt in ze presence of zis sharp white thorn, ze balconies were sickly things hung with washing and old sofas, slapped on slap-dash; ze windows were black coals, dull and dusty looking.

"It's a very nice building," I commented as Molly motioned for me to follow around to the left.

"Garage number 20, I have the key somewhere," Molly ducked down and combed through her bag, I glance dout of her window, noticing a couple standing outside their own garage smoking- obviously a no-smoking building- ze man tall and burly, ze woman tall and thin, both were eye-catching. I waved vaguely, ze woman waved with a smile, while ze man glared at my car doors and windows, eyes raking over it's body- yes, my car was a masterpiece. Molly sat up, ze man and woman averted zeir eyes as she pressed a button on a remote control and ze door rolled up. "There is a door down the way which goes up to the apartments, but it's best we take this staircase," I pulled up, reversing in so as to make a quick get-away, noting to myself ze staircase at ze back which was flanked with dim lights.

Ze door rolled back down and I suppose ze couple had made zeir way back up to zeir apartment. Zere was just enough room for me to get out of my car, which was good- I didn't want ze sides being scratched up all over again- and followed Molly up ze staircase which turned several times, ze darkness and repetitive lighting disorientating.

We entered a small office, probably ze care-taker's, and slipped through ze door and into a modern, clean, clean, clean landing and into apartment 16 on ze far left. "So, no-one will know we're here?" I asked at a whisper as we stepped into a small hallway, a bathroom on one side and a coat closet on ze other.

"I hope not, I don't think they've started letting this out again, I made a deal with the land-lord, gave him six months in advance, so it should still be in Phil's name," she lead me into a large sitting area, fussing zat I should remove my shoes before stepping on ze beautiful cream carpet.

Molly slipped into one of ze bedrooms and I followed her, sitting on ze unmade bed as she rummaged zrough a coat closet, chucking boxes out of ze way until she reached ze back wall. Clicking echoed throughout ze room, "So, what are we doing once we've got zese zings?"

"I need to stop off in ze shopping centre to get some more clothes. You're welcome to join me, if you want?"

"Oh-ho, I've been conned into shopping wiv a woman many a-time and I don't zink it would be wise for me to get conned again. I would hate for somezing untoward to 'appen to you- I may lose my 'ead," Molly laughed and piled boxes on ze floor beside ze bed, she reached inside, her foot knocking one box over to reveal—my eyes widen and my eyes narrowed in envy. "Do you zink you 'ave enough money zere?" I asked, Molly glanced over her shoulder and noticed ze box, she shrugged and pulled out a few more boxes.

She sat in front of ze boxes and sorted through zem, finding two large boxes of cash, a box of jewellery, a box of silver crucifixes, a dozen jars of water and a bow and quiver filled with long, lethal black arrows. She stood up and moved over to a wardrobe, throwing clothes on ze bed in zere dozens until she found a series of outfits and formal looking dresses she liked. "Is zat all we need?" I asked, lying down on ze comfy bed, fantasising zat it was my apartment and a rather good-looking bird was lying next to me as Molly packed everything away.

Molly collapsed on ze bed with me, I started out of my daydream resentfully, "I suppose, it just seems a bit odd coming all this way for a few bits and pieces," I rolled my eyes.

"Zat's what we came 'ere for, isn't it?" Molly shrugged and stood up, stretching, her red hair swinging about her waist as she disappeared through ze bedroom door.

I lay back down upon ze bed and returned to my daydream, I thought through all ze women I knew to find ze right one to fit zis daydream and stumbled upon Seras and instead took to zinking about how funny she 'ad looked when I had to explain a joke to 'er, not once, not twice, but three times! And even then I don't zink she quite grasped it, I had thought it had been a relatively simple joke- obviously not.

I opened my eyes suddenly aware of ze silence; I sat up and searched for Molly, I found her on ze balcony, resting against ze railings as ze sun disappeared, she breathed in deeply, "The smell of corruption and uncivilized civilization- oh, how I love it," she muttered dryly as I leant on ze railings beside her.

"Do you want to go into town quickly and leave everything here for picking up?" Molly asked.

"I don't," I laughed, "Shopping is a female sport which I despise," Molly's mouth turned up at a corner and she nodded.

"Fine, I'll be back in about half an hour," she left ze sliding-doors ajar as she left. A few minutes later I watched 'er sprint across ze road and walk towards ze shopping centre. From zis height I could even make out ze centre between buildings, we were close, but I doubted she would come back in ze next half an hour- even Molly, who 'ated shopping, would probably get distracted by sales. I went back inside to make myself a coffee and sifted through the cupboards to try and find some biscuits as ze kettle boiled.

It was a very nice apartment, I pretended I was some rich bachelor with a dozen women on ze go as I sat back out on ze balcony wiv my coffee and biscuits. The murmur of traffic and shouts echoed up form ze streets, ze sun filtered through ze clouds and brightened up ze dingy windows around ze building and everyzing was peaceful.

I decided zat I would be nosey, I peeked in to ze other two bedrooms, both had a double bed with two beds beneath zem zat could be pulled out but ze third one also had a single bunk bed over ze top. As I looked around I realised zat ze pimp 'oo 'ad lived zere before Molly 'ad taken over, must 'ave crammed in a dozen girls- ze rest sleeping on ze sofa in ze living room. Surely, 'e mustn't 'ave been a very generous or kind man and I was sure zat Moly had made a better life for ze girls.

Ze bookcase was filled wiv English-Polish, English-Bulgarian, English-German, English-Romanian and English-Russian dictionaries and ozzer books I took to 'ave been Molly's. Zere were books on ze occult, classics like Dracula, Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights and Great Expectations, not to mention poetry anthologies by ze dozen: Charles Baudelaire, Denise Levertov, Edgar Allan Poe, Sylvia Plath and many more. I whistled under my breath- she was into all zat deep, dark and depressing poetry, no wonder she was a little...how to say?... cold and sinister.

Ze bathroom was nice; I found ze colourful collage over ze toilet quite beautiful, counting all ze fish as I relieved myself. Ze bath looked big enough for three people with bubble jets along ze sides...okay, now I was really jealous. I turned off ze light and sat down to watch some television, but, zough the settee looked very comfy, it was lumpy and I became restless. I glanced over to ze clock on top of ze television, damn zat woman had been gone since 12:40, it was now 3:10. I sighed exasperatedly, _I should 'ave gone wiz 'er to supervise, _I zought angrily.

I turned off ze television and returned to ze balcony, keeping my eyes on ze street for any sign of Molly.

Gunshots echoed zroughout ze street, car horns blared, people screamed and came rushing down from ze street leading up to ze shopping centre. _Mon Dieu, what has zat woman done?_ I pulled out my gun; quickly 

checking ze magazine was fully loaded. Molly sprinted down ze road, a couple sprinting after her but not as spry as 'er, zough ze bigger of ze two was catching up. Molly disappeared into ze building, a couple of minutes later ze door flew open, Molly stood in ze doorway, "Right, Pip, get the bags, we're disappearing," No need to tell me twice.

I darted into ze master bedroom and grabbed ze bags and followed her across ze hall and into ze office as two shots hit ze doorway. Molly paused, locking ze door and pushing a cabinet in front as the door quaked beneath ze man's weight. I realised zey were ze couple from earlier, _best not to tell ze woman zat, she might castrate you_, my mind advised as I motioned for Molly to run ahead of me, "No, you have bags, you won't be able to shoot as well, go ahead of me," I rolled my eyes and sprinted ahead of 'er, sweat breaking on my fore'ead and back at lifting ze bags as well as sprinting down a dark, humid stairwell. Molly's gunshots ricocheted off ze walls, ze noise deafening in such a small and claustrophobic space, shouts echoed down to my ears as I neared ze door. "C'mon, we won't hurt you, Princess," Came a high-pitched giggle, "We promised him we wouldn't, if you give yourself up willing we'll take you back with us and nothing bad will happen,"

"If you don't come willingly, I can always break your legs until you beg, eat your eyes, drain you dry," Came a deep though irritable voice. I stopped on ze stairs. "Come here, you know you want to, come up here to me, I won't hurt you. Do you want to make me angry?"

"No," I answered, stepping up ze stairs slowly, dropping the bags. 'is voice was so soft, so lovely, I just wanted to obey him, to listen to him all night long. Molly screamed, "What the bloody hell is that!?" She screamed, an agonised cry echoing down the stairs, a scent burst into the dusty atmosphere, only a slight smell of something septic- I thought how it must smell to someone like Alucard or Seras and turned my nose up at it. _Wait, that's Molly's blood_.

"I won't go with yo-" 'er shouting was cut short by a cry of pain as a gunshot echoed down ze stairs.

"Come with us, Molly-" came ze voice again, I tried to concentrate on Molly and took the stairs back up, gunshots echoed down ze stairs the man's voice suddenly became distorted and gruff, ugly even, "You little bitch, I'll tear you apart!" Molly stumbled down ze stairs into me, her face pale.

"Come on," I grabbed 'er arm and dragged her down ze stairs, picking up ze bags in my other hand and sprinted down to ze garage. Molly fumbled in her pocket for ze garage key, upon finding eet she hastily pressed down on ze button and light started to flood into ze garage. "I left my things in a phone booth on Ellisson Way," She shouted over ze car as she jumped in. I started ze engine as a gunshot hit my bumper and sped out of ze garages and down ze road, glancing in my mirror to see if zey followed. Ze man carried on chasing us for a moment, slowly becoming smaller and finally gave up.

"Are you alright, Molly?" I asked, I glanced over to her; she was hunched against ze door, gasping and panting for breath- I 'ad never seen 'er out of breath in a fight before. "Molly?" I asked again.

"They hit me with a dart, I don't know what the deuce is in it, but..." She choked slightly, "I can't get 

it out, when you get to Alison Way-"

"You said Ellison,"

"Ellison, sorry," She corrected herself, "stop and pull it out for me, please," Her eyes closed behind her sunglasses. I nodded, taking over several cars and jerking ze wheel around to get down Ellison Way. I pulled up beside ze phone booth, a woman stood beside it, looking around for ze owner of ze bags. "Sorry, mademoiselle," I darted around her, pooling ze bags into my arms and stuffing zem on ze back seat, pausing to wink at her. "It's fine- um, your girlfriend looks ill," Her face fell slightly.

"Oh, she's not my girlfriend," I answered winking; she giggled and stepped into ze booth, flashing a perfect smile at me as she dialled. I hopped back into ze car, "Molly, can you turn around?" Molly shuffled around slowly, I flinched at seeing a dart just below her shoulder blade, blood staining her newly washed coat. "It seems you go zrough quite a lot of coats," Molly chuckled wryly as I tugged on ze dart lightly.

"Just pull, I don't care. It's got something in it and I want it out before it starts working it's magic," I wrapped my fingers around it and pulled hard, Molly bit down on her hand as her fangs lengthened into her own skin to stop from biting me. Ze dart wouldn't budge, but I could see some kind of liquid was slowly dripping into her system; ze effects unknown I pulled harder, Molly whimpered but I kept pulling. "It won't budge," I growled.

"Please just pull it out," She cried, she shoulders shaking. I nodded and wrapped my hand around ze familiar metal dart and twisted, Molly's bones in her finger snapped as she bit down, I twisted and tugged, having to push on ze other side of 'er back to get enough power behind my tugging. She moved onto ze next finger as I carried on tugging.

I glanced into ze mirror, cursing at seeing a familiar couple in a black BMW, "Molly, I can't, zey're here, we have to go," I returned to ze wheel, Molly's strange blood stained my fingers and I pulled ze car out, accelerating hard and not pausing to pull up for ozzer vehicles to pass me. Horns howled, people shouted, as my car shot down ze street and into ze main road. Molly whimpered, her own fingers tugging at ze dart, "It's poison, Pip," She croaked, her movements weak, her mind barely lucid. She slouched against ze seat, back to me, ragged panting echoing in my ears as I carried on zrough ze city. Ze car still followed us, not bothering to conceal zeir stalking, just missing a cyclist.

"Molly, once I've lost zem I'll get zat thing out, ok? Right now my 'ands are full," Molly didn't answer, "Merde!" I slammed my hand on ze wheel as ze lights turned red, "Merde-merde-merde!" Molly moaned in her seat a sweat started to break out on her forehead. "Molly, stay awake!" I swore under my breath as ze BMW pulled up beside me, "Shit!" I pulled out my gun as ze woman pulled out hers, shooting zrough ze window at her, she shrieked as ze side of her face turned to mush, ze skin crawling back into place. "Bastard!" She shot as i sped off, hitting ze back window. People screamed in ze streets, sirens echoed from ze top of ze road and still Molly wouldn't answer me. What did zese arseholes want?!

I pulled onto ze A1156 and pushed sped down ze tarmac, ze BMW closely following, closely followed by a pair of police cars. I hit 120 mph and I realised, zough my car was beautiful and wonderful and I loved it to pieces, speed alone would not get me out of zis mess. Road signs to Burstall hopped out to me, I needed to get off and onto ze A1189, I quickly swapped lanes, more horns blaring as I narrowly avoided an old jeep.

**(A/N: And now for a lesson in French expletives, m'darlin's!)** I pulled off Molly's sunglasses to see her eyes, zey were dilated to pin-pricks, bloodshot and whatever zey 'ad given 'er, she was off 'er face and drugged up to ze eyeballs. "Molly, please, just stay awake- Alucard will fry me if anything 'appens to you- and Integra! She'll be pissed too!" Molly seemed to look at me and she nodded slowly, her eyes drooping and 'er blinking increasing rapidly. "Unngh," She murmured.

Still ze BMW followed, still ze sirens wailed. "_Tu m'emmerdes!_" I pulled off ze motorway, very aware zat I was driving around in circles around Ipswich like some kind of idiot. I pulled down a pleasant road into a quiet village, honking my horn loudly as an elderly couple zought about crossing ze road. "get out of ze way!" I yelled as ze BMW caught up and ze _connasse _popped 'er 'ead out of ze car and shot ze hell out of my back window. "Merde! Molly, I understand you're feeling pretty rough right now," I called over ze roar of my engine and ze scream of sirens, "but now would be a very good time to pick up a gun and shoot one of zose _bites, _uh?" Molly nodded, moving around sluggishly in her seat, picking up 'er 1911 and shooting zrough ze buggered back window at ze connasse. I watched from ze mirror as ze bitch's head blew off, her body hanging out of ze car in a limp mess. Molly slouched back into 'er seat, "Is...that..better?"

"Touché," I sped back onto ze motorway, ze BMW had fallen back quite a bit and we were free from ze chasing. I pulled up in another town a few minutes later, parking my car at ze side of ze road behind trees and bushes so as to conceal out activities and our abandoning ze car. I got out and walked to ze other side, whimpering as I saw ze bullet holes over ze sides and back, ze smashed windows- zose _cons_ where lucky we didn't 'ave a proper fight, I would 'ave slaughtered zem. My car was my baby, and my baby was seriously damaged- but, Integra would not be understanding at all. I could 'ear 'er now: "You should have made sure you weren't being followed or watched in the first place!" I rolled my eyes and opend Molly's door, pulling eher out of ze car.

"I'm going to cut it out, ok?"

"What's...the...poing?"

"Sorry?"

"I'm already all...pois'noose," I shook my head and draped her over ze bonnet, pulling my knife out from my boot. Under different circumstances zis could 'ave been rather sexy Moly draped over a car and... but I tried not to think about zat, I was a proper gentleman and Molly was seriously ill. I dug ze knife in at ze same time as pulling on ze dart, it budged slowly as Molly whimpered and clawed at ze bonnet, I swallowed, flinching and feeling razzer ill by causing 'er pain. "Stop moving, Molly, I need to get it out," I noticed not all of ze liquid had made its way into 'er system even zough it 'ad been in her for at least twenty minutes. I felt 

bone beneath ze blade and realised ze dart was stuck into her shoulder-blade, deep, probably lodged zere. I gritted my teeth, zis was going to be tricky and far more paiful for 'er zan I realised. I dug ze knife in deeper as Molly made herself rigid so as not to move, still twisting and yanking ze dart as a police car sped down ze road.

"Almost...zere," I gritted my teeth and pulled harder, Molly cried out as a snapping sound issued from beneath ze blade and ze dart started to ease out as I pulled on it hard. I gagged at seeing it, such a repulsive and unpleasant thing, a long, thick needle- which looked sturdy enough to collect bone marrow- with strange mechanical legs zat wrapped around ze nearest bones, muscles and ligaments; blood, muscles and tissues hung from it as droplets of ze liquid dripped onto my hand. "Don't throw it...way...gi..i...t'...Pete-" Molly slipped off ze bonnet and crumpled into a ball. I picked her up, wrapping ze dart in cloth and pocketing it and started ze walk in to ze town where we would probably be able to get a car and call Integra while we sat down for a rest. We could come back to pick up ze bags.

My arms started to ache with all ze lifting even zough she wasn't too heavy and nodded with a smile to any of ze locals, "Awful wezzer, isn't eet?" An older man nodded with a classy: "Quite,"

Lucky for us ze town had a used car lot, old Peugeots, Volvos and mini Coopers stood on parade with ribbons and bows blowing in ze wind as a storm threatened to roll in. I headed towards ze small, white cabin which was supposedly ze office and hit a bell on ze desk. A man popped his head out of a room, a puzzled look on his features, "Good morning, we would like to buy a car- somezing cheap and driveable," he grinned, straightening his tie and slicking back 'is 'air, his grin wide and toad like with bulging eyes and a sweaty brow- altogether a rather unpleasant looking man.

"Well, I'm sure I have something for you both- oh, dear, is that oil?" He looked down to my blood stained hands.

"Oh, we had some car trouble- nothing to worry about," he nodded. "Is there a place I can make a private call?" I asked, Bob nodded enthusiastically, obviously wanting to keep my interest; I looked around ze room, spotting an old sofa under ze window, I placed Molly on ze sofa on her side and turned back around to ze salesman.

"Use my office, sir," I smiled, mumbling a 'thank you' before closing ze door and pulling out my mobile. Ze dialling noise threatened to make me insane, I gritted my teeth, "Come on, pick up, damn you! Zut Alors!" Finally it was answered with a crisp greeting, "Oh, Walter! Thank God!"

"Captain? What seems to be the matter?" He asked. I felt like eating ze phone in my agitation.

"Zere were people waiting for us at ze apartment, Molly's been hit-"

"Are you alright, captain?"

"_I'm _fine, but _Molly _is 'urt! Zey shot 'er with a dart, she's been poisoned! Ze damned zing wouldn't 

come out, I 'ad to cut eet out! She's seriously ill! My car is shot to pieces!" I started to pace ze small office.

"I think you may want to talk to Integra then, Captain," _Tu m'emmerdes!_ I heard Walter patch me zrough to ze Ice Maiden 'erself.

"Captain? I didn't expect any calls from y-"

"Molly's not well, she's been 'it wiz somezing- a dart! We were shot at by _vampires! _She collapsing, she's delusional and her temperature is just rocketing!"

"What?!" I heard Integra yell, slamming her hand on ze desk as she jolted forwards, I could picture 'er grinding ze cigar down in anger. "Where are you? And are you sure they were vampires?"Oh, soyou aren't worried about Molly? She could be dying for all we know!

"Er...I don't know, two or so miles from Burstall, and yes! Zey were vampires! Super strong, little fangs, the ability to make you do anyzing!- Zey were Vampires, alright," I glanced out of ze window, pulling ze blinds up before letting zem fall again as my eyes scanned ze vicinity- nuzzling suspicious.

"Jesus. Do you have means of transportation? I think it best you get back quickly,"

"I'm about to buy a new car,"

"Don't worry, you'll get a full reimbursement and we'll pay for repairs, just get Molly back before sundown! I don't want to have to replace a captain at such short notice," I flinched; even she knew that Alucard would rip me to pieces.

"Ok, I'll be back soon, I 'ope,"

"You'd better be," ze phone-line went dead and I leant against ze desk for a few moments, calming myself down enough to at least pretend to be a normal guy. I pocketed my phone as I closed ze office door behind me, ze saleman was bent over Molly, I could 'ear her talking to him, but couldn't 'ear ze words.

"I don't have any water, I'm afraid, the water's been turned off for repairs," Molly whimpered, 'er 'and gripped on to 'is tie, pulling him down to whisper in his ear. I noticed her teeth, how zey glistened and seemed to grow-

"Thank you, mister-?" I interjected, touching his shoulder.

"Johnson, Bob Johnson," Johnson straightened up, Molly collapsed against ze sofa with a mournful, hungry and agonised look on her face, her skin was red, eyes round and sparkling, her chest rose and fell rapidly and sweat dripped over her skin."Here at Johnson & son, we like to build up a rapport with our customers, we like to get them the best deal, the best car for their own unique needs-" he cleared his throat and 

slicked back his hair again.

"How will you be purchasing your car?" he asked.

**Alucard**

**A/N: Bare in mind that this is ahead of time, after Alucard finds out about the little shoot out.)**

I decided to wake up earlier than usual, waiting until the sunset stretched upon the bleak English sky to get up. I paused at the table, slipping my sunglasses over my nose and drinking the last of my wine before turning my attention to the tension the Manor seemed to have been dropped into. I vaguely recalled an argument coming from Integra's office in my comatose state, but couldn't be entirely sure; though the air started to thicken with both Integra's annoyance and her cigar smoke as I neared her office.

"Knock, knock," I chuckled, floating up from the dark cells and into Integra's well-lit office. Integra shot me a scathing look and continued smoking the cigar eagerly, her mind a buzz of anger, worry and annoyance. I stood beside the window, watching as the sun's reign ended, an invisible rope dragging it into the depths of darkness beneath the ground, the world swallowing it whole for the beautiful moon to dance upon the heavens again. "I don't suppose you've heard?" Integra asked almost casually if it weren't for the edge in her voice, the suppressed agitation.

I may have heard you shouting down a phone line or two while I was resting, but it seems to be a frequent occurrence at the moment," Integra glared at me again, glancing down at the remains of her cigar before stubbing it out in the ashtray littered with the husks of a dozen or so cigars.

"Molly and Pip stumbled upon an attacker at her apartment," I wasn't concerned, Molly had probably shredded them before they had a chance to shoot her; Integra's shouting had probably been to Molly for traumatising her captain. "What of it? Surely Molly ripped them apart?"

"I'm not sure if she got a bite in edgeways, to be entirely honest, but I do know that they shot her-" I laughed dryly.

"They _shot _her, they might as well shot her with rubber bullets," Integra turned in her chair, eyebrow raised.

"Not with bullets," I paused, turning back to the scenery, the golden haze drifting away to be replaced with the darker blues and greys and drifting blacks of shadows. Bird song echoed throughout the garden, slowly becoming more distant and empty. "She was shot in the back with a dart containing some kind of poison," I bristled. Now, I had no idea how she would fair against poison, "Pip had to get her out of there quickly, they were followed and his car's been shot to pieces, Molly doesn't sound like she's in a good condition either," I didn't say anything, my eyes now trained on the long road from the small motorway to the gates for signs of Pip's car or any car.

"Pip was incredibly flustered, apparently she's delusional, fevered," Integra pulled out another cigar and lit it calmly, "I wouldn't be surprised if we had to go to another funeral-"

"Molly's strong," I interjected, "she's older than you think, she can handle a little poison- she won't die, I know that, she may get sufficiently weakened, but she definitely won't die," Integra shrugged, exhaling sweet smoke into the air.

"Well, either way, it's not so much her predicament I'm concerned about, it's who was shooting the darts," I watched Integra as she stared out of the window, her jaw ticking aggressively, "Apparently it was vampires, two vampires," I shook my head.

"Impossible, any technology used by Millennium to create any day-walking vampires or any vampires full-stop was completely destroyed, there's no way they were walking around in day-time,"

"Pip says otherwise. One vampire had a gift, the gift of charisma, he says he felt he needed to do as he was told, no doubt Molly felt that as well and that was why she was shot so easily. Pip saw their fangs, the way they moved- they were vampires alright,"

"It looks like we're in a little more trouble than we first thought. Perhaps not all the technology was destroyed?"

"Perhaps not. Or, perhaps they've found a new method to create day-walking vampires," I nodded, noting a car on the motorway speeding about insanely and tearing down the road towards the gates. I would have to have a talk with Pip, perhaps he didn't feel he needed to look out for Molly, who was otherwise an outsider- partially demonic and monstrous. "I hope Peter and Midori can look after Molly, Izzy's taking the next four days off to attend to business over-seas with his newly inherited villas." She glanced at me, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

That disgusting weasel was really starting to bother me, and things that bothered me didn't last long, they were like obstacles in my way and obstacles were _always _crushed. And Faust would be crushed, eventually; the thought of his agonizing demise made my spine tingle with anticipation. He was a wimp, a pathetic and cowardly wimp, I could break a few bones and he'd bleat like a sheep, squeal like a pig and beg like the feeble man he was. Molly hated men, but I sensed that it was probably only men like Faust that made her despise every male she came across. I remembered when we first met, how she had been so edgy and mistrusting to me, by the second of our meetings she seemed to be more relaxed, more used to the idea that I wasn't really a man, more a creature and Punisher as she was. And with that common-ground came understanding and, a few months later, here we were, friends and comrades, companions and cohorts.

But, she had changed a lot in our time of knowing each other, she was less human, though perhaps more forgiving and easier to get along with, she was more open and more violent. She had hidden her demonic prowess, but the guise had worn it under had cracked- the seventy-two hours spent in the medical rooms saw to that- she found it harder to keep her demonic traits hidden. As she became more excited all she could think 

about was the kill and her fangs would lengthen and sparkle with venom and cruelty as she ripped into anyone who came near to her. How intriguing she had been when she fought as a human, how magnificent she was now that she sunk fangs into flesh, now she threw things form her with a demonic strength, now she feasted upon blood and ate humans alive.

The car disappeared through the gate, the angle of the house obscuring the old car as it stopped.

"Well, no doubt you want to shout at Pip for stumbling into a trap," Integra sighed as the phone rang. I excused myself, stepping into the shadows of the ground floor and accompanying Walter to the car.

**Captain Pip Bernadette **

"Depends how much it is," I continued.

I scanned ze cars lined up in ze courtyard zrough ze window, immediately my eyes fell on an old Volvo, it looked like it would fall to pieces after it hit 80, but it was cheap and big enough for Molly in ze back and all ze bags and zat was all I needed. "'ow about zat car, ze Volvo?" I asked as Monsieur Johnson ploughed on about how he respected his customers and how he tried to get ze right car for zem. He blinked, obviously not used to people making a decision quite so quickly, "Well, if you think that's the right type of car you two love-birds need, there's quite a bit of space for...luggage," I sighed inwardly.

"I 'ave-" I pulled out my wallet and quickly flicked through my money, "I'm afraid I don't 'ave enough money to pay eet in cash," Bob, seeing my flicking zrough my cash cleared his throat greedily.

"What do you say to: paying for it partly in cash and partly by credit card?" He asked and I shrugged.

"I 'ave four 'undred in cash, I suppose I could pay ze rest by credit card. How's visa?" Bob nodded eagerly, taking me back to ze office where I handed over ze cash and completed my credit card transaction.

"Is she alright? She looks like she's got a fever," He jerked his head over to ze couch under ze window, Molly groaned in her unconsciousness, having slipped back into a stupor.

"Food poisoning," I blurted out, returning to Molly and picking 'er up in my arms as Bob led me over to ze car, opening ze back door for me to lay her down. He handed me ze keys, removing ze sign and ribbons upon it and waved me off as I started ze engine and drove out slowly, flinching at ze rough reverberations of ze engine and ze deep drone of its groan, how I missed my bi-turbo's luscious hum, it's comfy seats, it's purring noise.

"Molly?" I asked over my shoulder, not taking my eyes off ze road as I looked out for my abandoned car, she groaned in answer, a retching noise issued from her and I glanced in ze mirror to see her coughing up what looked like blood-covered stones, clutching her stomach desperately and throwing up, I flinched and 

returned my concentration to ze road.

I almost missed ze hidden car and had to jerk ze Volvo around quickly, ze engine groaning in disagreement. I hopped out and unlocked ze bi-turbo and bundled ze bags in ze boot of ze Volvo. I noted to myself ze suspicious red stains in ze Volvo's boot, but decided zat I had bigger things to worry about, like getting Molly home without zose arseholes following us.

Ze engine groaned and stuttered beneath me as I hit ze motorway, all ze while Molly lay unconscious in ze back, her groans becoming louder and more frequent as I neared London. I was gritting my teeth hard, gripping ze wheel until my knuckles were white, God if anything 'appened to 'er Alucard was going to kill me! And Integra would fire my arse! And I wouldn't be able to live with myself! My heart started to beat hard with relief at seeing ze familiar turn-off between fields and long lines of woodland, ze Manor stood a mile or so down ze road and I glanced back to Molly and zen my watch, it was 7:00...Alucard would be up and he would see me carrying her in...shit.

Molly sat up in ze back and crawled between ze seats, "Are...we...almost-home!?" She gasped, gripping her stomach like a wounded animal, skin still red, lips white and fangs extended for blood. I could see she was holding herself back from killing me; her eyes fell at my neck, a soft whimper escaping her lips.

"Yes, a few more moments and zen Izzy can pump your stomach or whatever," Molly shook her head.

"Not Izzy."

I frowned, pushing ze accelerator to ze floor and swapping gears as ze Manor came in sight, ze guards at ze Gate noticed my car and had ze Gates opened. I slowed down as Molly started to gag again, retching and coughing and finally falling unconscious over ze break. Ze Volvo screamed over ze gravel as I skidded to an 'olt and jumped out of ze car, taking Molly in my arms again as she moaned and murmured, 'er eyes bleary and dilated to beggary.

Ze doors opened, ze sky bled reds with ze grey of clouds as ze wind picked up and rain started to patter ze car, and Alucard and Peter stepped out. "What are her symptoms, Pip?" Peter asked hurriedly, checking her eyes wiz a small light and pulse hurriedly.

"She was coughing up...somezing- blood and tissue- earlier coupled with sudden losses of consciousness, sweating, convulsions, rapid breathing, stomach pain-"

"Do you have the dart?" Peter asked as Alucard took her from my arms. I searched my pockets, finally finding ze strange dart inside my coat. "Ok, Alucard, could you take her to the medical room please, I'll run tests on this and then we'll get to fixing her up. It's probably nothing, just an animal tranquiliser her body's trying to get rid of. Miss Molly, could you try and keep awake?" Peter rested his hand on her head, pulling a face as sweat dripped between his fingers and her body jolted with convulsions.

"Honestly, trust Molly to stumble upon poisonous darts!" peter laughed, following Alucard down ze hall and into ze medical room.

I sat down on a bed nearest to her as Peter started to take samples of ze poison and identify it. Molly opened her eyes, "Well, well, if it isn't the lion-tamer, come to tame this lion have we?" She giggled at Alucard, 'er eyes closing tight as convulsions raked over her body. I slid off ze bed and took Molly's hand, "Do you feel better?" I asked eagerly, she shrugged.

"Do you feel better when you can't control your own body?" I squeezed her hand. "Pip?"

"Mmm?"

"Did I actually shoot her?" I laughed shortly, nodding.

"Oui, you shot 'er face off," Molly's mouth spread into a grin.

"Good, at least i got her back for getting me with that dart. What the deuce was in that thing?" she asked, her voice cracked. I looked over to Peter as he printed off somezing, he turned around slowly wiz a small smile on 'is lips.

"You'll be ill for a few hours, but it's nothing too bad- not for you anyway," Peter chuckled to 'imself, "It's a few different sedatives mixed with arsenic, you should be fine tomorrow,"

"Arsenic?" Alucard and Molly asked togezzer, Alucard glanced at 'er and carried on, "surely that would hurt her?"

"We've already studied the effects of different substances on her blood, after five hours her blood dissolved any lethal doses of arsenic. Alucard, you'd be the same, both your blood can neutralise poisons. So, either your attackers wanted you dead or knew you'd be able to recover after a few hours of disorientation and convulsions,"

"Well, there's nothing you can do for me right?" Peter nodded slowly, Molly carried on "I'm going to have to do this on my own?"Molly asked, Peter nodded, "Well, then I've got some unpacking to do, some planning to do," Molly kicked 'er legs over ze side of ze bed, flinching as she suppressed convulsions, "God, I'm starving,"

"Molly, wouldn't it be better if you stayed down 'ere and recovered?" I admonished. Molly raised an eyebrow and stretched, getting to 'er feet and bouncing on ze balls of 'er feet for a while.'Er movements,usually fluid and silent, were uncertain and stumbling; she teetered over to ze door.

"I'll see y-you later thi-this evening," She stumbled through ze door without another sound. I glanced at Peter.

"Surely zat is not good for 'er," Peter shrugged in reply and sat back at 'is desk, "Peter, za-"

"Molly prefers to do things her own way, Captain, it would be best that you let her do whatever it is she feels she needs to. She hates be the sitting duck, she hates being ill- to be ill is to be weak- you should understand that by now," Alucard disappeared zrough ze wall as he finished his little lecture, his voice 'anging in ze air with a cold and unearthly tone to eet, it echoed sinisterly about ze room and I was surprised Peter didn't flinch or whimper, but 'e seemed t have gotten used to eet.

_Fine,_ I zought_, let 'er do what she likes zen, I've only spent ze last few hours worrying my arse off for 'er. _

I mumbled to myself angrily as I made my way back into the foyer, a flash of blond 'air appeard beneath my nose. "'alrigh', Pip? You look down in the dumps, 'ow about a game of cards to lighten those spirits of yours?" I grinned.

"Alright, you're on,"

"Thank God you wanna play! That Demon guy, Agaliarept, is some kinda card-shark or summint, he just keeps on winnin'!"

"You're playing against a demon? You cannot be serious, zey cheat!"

"Well, I told 'im I'd get some other people to pla with us-"

"You want me to play against a demon?"

"Yup! So y' can win me stuff back!" She answered brightly, grabbing my arm and dragging me up ze stairs to ze games room, _Well, if you insist, _I zought as I stumbled into ze room. Ze demon glared at me over a pair of sunglasses I recognised to be Leonard's, one of Jasper's prized Cuban cigars stuck out from between his sharp looking teeth. "Come, come, Captain, I'm getting bored playing with these losers, perhaps someone will finally win against me?" Seras sat me down in front of ze demon and sat next to me. I glared at 'er zrough ze corner of my eye, "You owe me, big time," I whispered out of ze side of my mouth. Ze demon started to deal.

**A/N: Well, how'd you like that me lovelies? I would like to point out that my spacebar is fucked already (damn, my habitual swearing) as my sister likes jam...nuff said. Anyway, you're probably thinking "oh, man, that wasn't as good as the last twenty chapters," Well, I agree. I'm geting lazy and I apologise. **

**Thank you for all the lovely reviews! Hopefully I'll be hearing from you soon. **

_**(commercial break)**_

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_**(Said like Japanese advert guy) Halloooooooo, fanfictioners! This is the Fiction Plug update! As you all know The Dark knight had recently been released for your cinematic enjoyment! New fanfictions have popped up from the new release, **__**Saviours and Hellion **__**smiles being, above all, the best! **_

_**(montage of Joker, nurses, evil doctors, blood, batman talking to a nurse in a dark alley) **_

_**The fanfiction starts with the Joker being mortally wounded and no-one wants to help him, a nurse, Chelsea Grant, decides that to ignore him or purposefully killing him would prove his twisted theory about humans to be right. She decided to nurse him to health in her spare time. Unlike other fictions, this is a romance, but in no-way is it Mary-Sue. Chelsea may end up having feelings for the Joker but the Joker does not fall in love with her (Cos the joker does not feel love or compassion) but starts to grow fascinated with her as he does the batman. So...altogether a thoroughly good read. The author is a 15 year-old, Harlequin Sequins, and her writing shoves fingers up to the stereotypical views that the younger you are the more immature your writing is. You will not get disappointed with such a fantastic read. **_

_**(montage of young girl talking to tall red-clad vampire in the middle of the street, flashing images of vampire sin apartments, secrets, hell-hounds, black multiple-eyed sharks, dead fish, coffins and hats plays in background) **_

_**Another fanfiction to read is Clever-Plane's **__**Tattoo**__**, based upon Hirano Kouta's Hellsing manga and anime, Clever-Plane creates an interesting relationship between Alucard and a young girl. The girl, one Pura (a American girl with a secret)finds herself drawn to the potentially lethal vampire and has to deal with her feelings for him while ending up working for hellsing after her secret is found out. Filled with lots of funny, clever and happy bits as well as some dark humour and gruesome descriptions, this is a brilliant read.**_

_**(Montage of young Integra talking to Walter in an attack, breaking vases and finding Alucard's things, Alucard standing in a lift with scared people, Alucard sitting in a car looking peeved, young Integra sitting in a tree talking to her vampire) **_

_**Another writer you should look up is our own Marie **__**(AKA Cannot fathom a penname)**__** her writing is wonderful, if you think she betas well then read her fictions! Mostly writing one-shots for hellsing, her writing is outstanding, her character development outstanding, her writing style is jaunty and cheerful, though can write quite darkly when needs be. **__**In words**__** being quite entertaining and sweet, **__**Nike**__** being another cute and cool one-shot. Altogether and brilliant writer and worth and peek at :D**_

_**(Japanese advert guy grins with big teeth from behind a desk) And so concludes our Fiction-plug break! Hope you enjoyed the previous program it will be up again soooooon, and hope you enjoyed our plugs for this week. That is all from me, Yamamoto Taro, see you again soon! (colourful Japanese writing appears on screen with strange Japanese girls singing in the background)**_

_**(Beth steps out from behind her books Well, that's all from me and Taro, I'll be seein' ya! **_


	25. The Ritz

**Chapter 25**

**Alucard**

**The Ritz**

**A/N: Hoped you liked the previous chapters, I think I'm going to update all of them together XD should be cool. XD hope you're all enjoying the storyline so far. I don't really know how long this fiction is going to go on for, chapter wise, though I know exactly how the storyline goes. I have a habit of writing a lot, so I hope no-one's annoyed if it goes on for about 30 or so chapters. I'm really in love with writing this at the moment. Please excuse my pouring of heart, but it just feels great to write someone else's life for a bit, things aren't exactly great over this side of the water. **

**Recession is a maaajor arse-pain, money is a problem for most people, food is expensive, you can't drive anywhere without money coming into the equation. Seriously, I'm totally pissed off with our government at the moment, I mean surely they could've seen this coming and done something to post-pone it or give us advice on what to do, like NOT buy a house last October like we did and not invest your money in certain banks etc etc (NORTHERN ROCK!!) of course the government doesn't care they're sitting in their panic vaults in sofas made out of money and whipping their arses with the stuff! Bastards! You hear that? I say governmental political bastards! The lot of ya, what you gonna do about it ?(sticks out tongue) (knock at the door, Beth peaks out of curtains) oh, great, now I have to deal with THOSE guys XD **

**Yep, i've never been one for government; though, understandably, someone has to run a country, otherwise everything could go tits up...how about me? I'm pretty cool. I'd give me salary to hospitals and live in a cave! Hell, I'd even insist my cabinet do the same, cos god knows they get paid waaaay too much for screwing with our lives and sitting in a warm house of parliament. Btw did you know that the house of commons has its own bar? I'm not even kidding! Everything is practically half price so most of the bastards walk in there drunk! Now we know why they didn't see the recession thing coming, they were too busy getting their stomachs pumped after too much booze. Right, political rant over. **

**Here it is...Twisted Blood chapter 25!! In an Alucard POV, obviously, and set in THE RITZ. I hate basing things on imagination when they exist so I did a loooot of research into the scenery, unfortunately the ritz don't like divulging all that information...so...I had to resort to bits of imagination derived from all the pictures I've seen- no, I have never been to the Ritz, I've never stayed in London EVER, 'cause the city actually freaks me out, too many people too much noise, too high a crime rate...etc etc. Am I a complete wimp? Nope, just hate crowded places and unfamiliar territory. Right, I really have to shut up now. Thank you for reviews!! And enjoy!**

Peter's assumption that the poison would not hinder her was completely correct, Molly set about packing in her room, scurrying around packing all she needed- weapons, clothes, jewellery and anything else that made her seem to be a wealthy heiress or businesswoman. Once again the evening was silent and all I could do was amuse myself. Reading books didn't hold my interest for long, not even the more macabre could feed my thirst for action and seemed to just make the hours drag on and on more than if I sat and did nothing at all. I returned _Dr Jekyll and Mister Hyde _to its dark corner and stalked the shadows to Molly's room, knocking briefly and proceeding to slip into the room. Molly lay on her bed, her eyes closed, seemingly sleeping. "I thought you'd be busy packing, Red," She sighed, not bothering to open her eyes.

"Unlike you women I don't feel the need to pack a dozen suitcases full of clothes," Molly cracked open and eyelid and shrugged.

"I don't either, I have a single suitcase if you care to notice," she waved her hand in the direction of the table, her small suitcase lying on the table, positively bursting with the contents. I sat down in the chair and crossed my ankle over my knee. Molly sat up and stretched, the clicking of her spine seemed to be delightful to her, her eyes glowed for a moment and she relaxed, her head tilted to the side. "You must be incredibly bored to sit there watching me sleep,"

"You weren't sleeping," I objected, "You had your eyes closed to mislead me, but I know when you're asleep and when you aren't,"

"Oh?" I smiled briefly, picking up a new jar of bolts. "I suppose it has something to do with my heartbeat, you seem to be able to hear it, that mellifluous thumping within my ribs, it intrigues you as my blood intrigues Izzy," I shook my head.

"I can hear your heartbeat, but your heartbeat is as slow as when you're awake, it's the sound of your mind that tells me when you're asleep,"

"Does it hum pleasantly?" She laughed, sitting down opposite me and taking a bottle out of a bag beside the table leg.

"Something like that," I answered. Molly removed her suitcase from the table, revealed two glasses which had sat behind the case and opened the bottle, pulling the cork out with her teeth.

"You can drink wine, can't you?" She asked.

"Of course,"

"Good," She poured a generous amount into one glass and a measly amount in the other, taking the smaller of the two for herself.

It is a well-known fact that conversation becomes more fluid and friendly with a drink; Molly poured us three more glasses, slowly her own portions getting larger, her talking getting gradually more excitable and bubbly, her pupils contracting and her cheeks blushing. "I think you've had enough for this evening, Blue," I corked the bottle and removed the glasses, returning them to the kitchen sink.

As I re-entered Molly's room I heard the familiar chatter of her mind as she slipped into sleep, the noise of the voices slowly building in volume over the static, the screams and shouts, the laughing and singing- 519 years chattering all at the same time to make a large headache. Molly lay on her bed, murmuring under her breath as the dreams carried on, dancing behind her eyelids, I took the throw-over from the bottom of her bed and draped it over her, watching as her eyes flickered behind her pale eyelids, her mouth stumbling to make words as a frown creased her brow.

Integra asked that we wake up early to arrive at the hotel by eight and I found myself waiting for Molly in the black Rolls Royce. I drummed my fingers against the door, watching the Manor's door for any sign of the redhead.

"Trust women to take their time, right?" One of the soldiers chuckled, rearranging the chauffeur hat upon his head and dusting off the black suit accordingly. I wouldn't have thought Molly would take so long in getting ready, though it was quite obvious why when she did finally appear in the door way, the gold and pink haze of the sunset thrown across the building, her shadow stretched up to the top of the doorway. She walked down to the car gracefully, the chauffeur in the front seat whistled.

Of course I knew that Molly would have to alter her appearance somewhat to be less conspicuous at an expensive charity ball, but it hadn't struck me just how much. Molly's hair, the most conspicuous of all her characteristic, had altered entirely, now a normal auburn it flowed just past her shoulders, a fringe was cut across her forehead, her pale blue eyes underneath now a grey-green. She wore a pencil-skirt and blouse, the material was ruffled down the front, the neck high, giving her a long and elegant neck and she had even donned a pair of black heels which clicked crisply down the steps.

She felt confident in this new attire, her smile turning a corner of her mouth up in a confident grin, I followed her with my eyes as she walked around the car and sat down in the back next to me. "What a dazzling transformation," Molly looked up, her cheeks blushing with the complement, a quiet thank you resonating from her glossy lips. She looked over to me as the soldier peeled away from the Manor, the gravel crunching beneath the tyres, the heating circulating around the car. Her cheeks blushed deeper as she eyed my attire.

"You look...completely different." I smiled.

"I can see by the way you're eying me it's a good different." The blush travelled up her neck, adding to her pink cheeks, she nodded with a coy smile and cleared her throat.

The journey was practically silent except for small discussions about the room arrangements and how we were going to track Maximus down. Molly decided she'd do a reconnaissance about the hotel; make notes of all the best exits if needs be and try to get a good idea of how many staff were on during the evening.

The car rolled through London leisurely, the pale yellow orbs dotted across the bridge at the Victoria embankment glowing like dying stars in the grasp of darkness. The slow journey seemed calming and relaxing to us both as we passed across the strand and stole away with the rest of the cars into Trafalgar square; the lights glowing brightly upon the tinted glass of the window; acid yellows, dull red and greens and electric blues flashed around Trafalgar square, crowds of dark figures bustled along the streets, car horns blared and pale faces looked on through the tinted glass with a glimmer of interest. The local tarts' makeup seemed so garish in comparison to soft faces and fair skin that they seemed to be clowns leering through at us as we made our way to the Ritz across Piccadilly. Molly cradled her chin in her hand, watching the crowds in disgust, spotting the short skirts and flirtatious caresses, quietly scorning them all for their exhibitionism which she had never found herself acquainted with.

The car stopped outside of the large building, the large Victorian windows yawning over the city towards Hyde and St James' Park, the lights glimmering across the beige brickwork like gems. I stepped out of the car, looking up at the building in awe, the grandeur of it loomed over every other building surrounding it and it was a spot of heaven in a sea of corruption and mess. Though, the façade was easily seen through for Molly and I as I took her hand on my arm and lead her up the stairs, her eyes glistened with awe, "Molly, please don't draw attention to the fact that you've never stayed in a five star hotel before," Molly closed her mouth and trained her eyes on the door. I glanced back, the alleged chauffeur helped a bellboy remove our luggage from the trunk, my coffin had already been transported into the hotel secretly and so there were only two suitcases to take- mine practically empty, having no need for luggage.

The smell of flowers, perfumes, the bellboys' sweat and colognes mingled in the air to make a tantalizing aroma of a diversity of classes: high-class being the guests, middle-class being the supervisors and management staff and lower-class being the bell-boys and waiters and maids. The expensive clothing shimmered before my eyes in a wave of sequins, diamonds, silks and cashmere, heels clicked against the marble staircases at the other end of the foyer, elevator bells pealed as the old-fashioned doors were pulled shut by staff. The red carpet was springy and new beneath my shoes, the golden crowns dotted across in a regal pattern. The high ceiling held chandeliers that sparkled and glowed beautifully; casting multicoloured squares over the coving and walls, the air was warm and humid from the many light-bulbs and the hot breath of the inhabitants.

Molly and I stopped at the lobby desk, a sickening smile there to greet us, "Can I help you, sir, madame?" The smile asked, forced politeness bitter and twisted.

"Hope you can," I laughed arrogantly, "we've booked a room for the Charity Ball tomorrow evening under the name Brenner," The sickening man turned to his computer, tapping at the keys aggressively, his mind screaming for his break and the change of shifts, "Mister Brenner and Miss Abendroth?" We nodded together. "Yes, as I explained to your colleague, we only had one room left, the honey-moon sweet," Molly tried not to act surprised though I noticed the rapid blinking and wide eyes as she understood what he was saying, "But your colleague informed that it was alright." He took out a book from beneath the desk and opened it at a strip of red ribbon and handed me a pen. I signed mister Brenner's name deftly and handed Molly the pen, waiting for her pause, but it seemed she'd used this alias before having signed Marina's name as dexterously as I signed James'. Molly closed the book, the cubic zirconia on her wedding ring finger glimmered and the smile across the sickening man's face broadened, "Congratulations on the engagement."

"Thank you," Molly giggled, I noticed a rather convincing German accent, "Von't this be vonderful, James? It'll be like vhen ve first met," I chuckled more out of humour than falsity, Molly was going to have as much fun as she could out of this, I could sense it. The man at the desk motioned for the bellboy to follow us up to our room as he handed us each a key-card, "I hope your stay is good,"

"Good?"I scoffed, "For what I've paid I hope for it to be excellent," I rested my hand at Marina's back, she bristled for a moment and slowly relaxed, and lead her to the lift where the bellboy stood waiting with our bags.

"This vill be lovely, my darling," Marina trilled happily, "It vill be like an early honey moon," Marina grinned happily, the bellboy shuffled his feet and let us out at the top floor, carrying our bags behind us as we made our way down the hall towards a door marked "honeymoon Suite" where I swiped the card and opened the door for Marina and the bellboy. I stepped into the small foyer; the bellboy dropped the bags behind me and waited in the corner for his tip while Marina and I stepped into the main room. A small fireplace stood to the right of the entrance doors with a sofa and an armchair positioned around it, a small glass coffee table stood behind the sofa and behind the sitting area was a rectangular table adorned with an intricately embroidered tablecloth, an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and a complementary box of strawberries sat waiting for us. Beyond the dining area was a narrow balcony with a small bistro set over-looking St James' Park, small hanging baskets hung on either side of the door, the purple haze of flowers swaying in the wind.

To the right was another door leading into the bedroom, the large double doors were left ajar to show a generous four-poster double bed with a few red roses scattered across the duvet. And, finally, there was a small kitchenette and breakfast bar to the far left.

Marina flicked the light switch, light blossomed from a few sconces and she flicked the next one, a small chandelier in the centre of the room glowed brilliantly and both Marina and I blinked from the sudden light. I turned to the bellboy, "Thank you for your services," I handed him a meager tip- those who have money are nevr really that generous with it- and strode over to the balcony, content with the view. The lights turned off and Molly joined me at the large doors, gazing out upon the blanket of darkness dotted with the miniscule illuminations of streets lights and headlights, the Park was alight with the strings of lighting around it, showing off the marvellous trees and the lake glistening like a black gem. "The view is beautiful," she whispered, her accent fading as we were now out of ear shot, "Spectacular, even." She opened the doors, the white veil curtains swayed and billowed with the sudden breeze and I stepped out with Molly and leant against the railing, looking down towards the illuminated tail of the River Thames, just visible beyond the buildings and lights, curling and slithering across London like a serpent.

"It's nights like these that make me wonder why people can't admire the world now, perhaps it's their ignorance and blatant disregard for everyone and everything else but themselves; or maybe it's just because that I'm living in the past," Molly smiled to herself pleasantly.

We stood in silence for a moment comfortable with the serenity until is was broken with the wail of sirens and distant shouts that echoed to us, the breeze brushing across our faces and catching our hair, throwing it back.

"So," Molly straightened up and sat down in the seat, crossing her legs, "Are you going to do your own little reconnaissance?"

"In a few hours maybe, I'll wait until it's a little quieter, in the mean time maybe you should unpack," Molly shrugged, straightening out imaginary crease marks in her skirt as she clicked off to the bags and kicked off her shoes, taking her own suitcase into the bedroom.

I followed her with my own suitcase, noting my coffin standing at the foot of the bed disguised as a trunk; Molly hung up her clothes and busied herself around the room while I rested my suitcase against my coffin. "It's a very elegant coffin," Molly chuckled conversationally.

"I think so." Molly skirted around me and disappeared into the bathroom, humming to herself busily.

"Oh, wow, Alucard have you ever seen one this big?" I raised my eyebrows and popped my head around the door, Molly stood in the shower looking up at a large dustbin-lid sized shower head. "And the shower itself is huge, you could fit at least five people in here," she smiled, spinning around in the shower pleasantly, completely oblivious to the sexual connotations of what she had just said. She closed the shower door behind her and looked down at the large clam-shaped bath in the corner.

"Well, I think I'm going to have a bath- no, shower- no, a bath," Molly looked between each in turn.

"Spoilt for choice, are we?" Molly flashed a smile at me, "If you need me, I'll be in the living room," Molly nodded and closed the door behind me, the sound of her drawing a bath following shortly after.

**Molly**

Water. Such a simple thing and yet needed to sustain whole nations, whole races, whole species; and here I was draining a portion of it away into a large bath with steaming curls swirling off its surface, spinning about me as I sat on the edge, running my fingers through the warm liquid, to use this necessity as a luxury. I hadn't taken a bath in a while, baths were a luxury which I didn't usually enjoy or fancy, I was too busy killing to bother with the notion that a demon like myself could enjoy a leisurely bath.

The warmth of the room reminded me of somewhere, something that was right there sitting on the periphery of my memories, goading me and jeering at me with its angelic face slowly turning into something more demonic and sinister. It would seem strange to think that I, a descendant of centuries of demonic heritage and tainting, could still have nightmares about demonic creatures and the like, berating me for not remembering. But it was true, the dreams that I did remember- the dreams that I knew weren't my recollections- were always the same, they would sit there, laughing cruelly as I looked around helplessly for my mind- was it in a jar on a high shelf? Was it at the bottom of that lake? Was it following me, the predator, as I was its prey?

That may be the case, the more I look for it the more I will lose it; or, perhaps, it was something I did not want to find, it was the predator like I am the prey. As remembering would be to succumb to the calls of the wolves and search for them foolishly and stick my head in their jaws or wander into their domain.

My head was not my own, I'd always believed that, how could this mind of mine actually belong to me? It did nothing but terrorize me with nightmares of memories I couldn't remember, with these feelings of déjà vu and anxiety, with these continuous thoughts- these very thoughts I thought now! I could never rest, this thing on my neck, this horrid jack-o-lantern with its eyes burning with the fires of the inner candle, its candle would never extinguish, would never cease. My mind was a maze which I would never know, could never comprehend; I was following a corridor going in one direction but it really led into another. Indeed I'd spent time thinking of these morbid calculations, for not even endeavouring would be to stoop and give up, (and I've chosen to never stoop, to never flee or give in. Why should I? I can beat my enemies, I would not turn my back on them, I would not run, I would not hide, I would not cease or rest until my enemy was in my jaws, begging for freedom and for mercy- whether I would choose to be merciful afterwards depended on my mood.) I've spent a good deal of my time thinking, or "sleeping", wherein my mind, so full to bursting with calculations, schemes, plots- stop!- the abrupt holt would then lead on to something far more...desirable. Enlightenment.

I draped the towel over the nearby sink and turned off the taps, slowly getting into the luscious waters, the muscles in my legs sighing as the hot water massaged out the knots and aches. The water rushed up to meet me, caressing my new found waist, kissing away the scars, the old burns, the unconscious memory of the pain; it twisted about me cradling me in a motherly hold, rubbing my back to make the aches in my spine cease- unlike that mind of mine. Indeed the internal and subconscious thinking would never impede.

Even now as I lay in the cradle of a liquid hold I was listening out for any noises in the next room, scheming and plotting a way out if needs be, remembering where my weapons were; my body was tense for reverberations along the floor but all I could sense and feel was Alucard in the living room. I turned my head and looked at the wall, closing off my sight to see the white glow that was him sitting in the black inanimate hold of a chair, the slightly brown showing the wood of the legs and frame.

I smiled contentedly, it was nice to have a companion, someone who wasn't shocked by this new demon inside of me, by my excitability- though I'd kill him if he knew I confessed to being...easily excited. I was though, I knew it, he knew it and my victims knew it, it was just how I worked- it was passion- and if I cannot have a passion for_ someone_ why not have a passion for the_ kill_? And what a magnificent kill it always was when it was performed by me now- my muse fighting at my side with his devil-blood eyes, his great maw gaping with thorns of ivory jutting out to grate off flesh, to devour insides and everything else about these little disgusting husks of mortality. These dreary self-righteous bastards screaming morality but professing 

hedonistic impurities...

But, oh, God what do I sound like now? Am I so thoroughly wretched and cruel and wrecked that I've reached a new level of superiority? No, no; that isn't me who encumbers all rational thought and barricades it out of my skull, it's this...new..._**thing**_ inside of me that kills for pleasure not for justice, who practises sadism at an entirely different level. The thing that, even now, as I lie in the bath slowly, drifting into a stupor, rears its ugly, demonic head and threatens to steal me completely. Though, my whole life has been building up to this- hasn't it?

How Alucard would enjoy that, my turning and changing, my demonic maturity. I mean, wasn't it him who had disagreed outright when I had stumbled upon this new optimistic me, hadn't he fought against it and called me naive and stupid? Hadn't we ended up in such a heated argument that he had to restrain me against the dining room table, had thrown me into a piano and shouted at me? My arms ached just from thinking about that deathly grip of his and how small I had felt. Though, in the end, I had pushed optimism to the extremes and boarders of stupidity, and part of me understood his harsh and rather rude awakening.

He was entertained, I think, when my easily excitable self ripped freaks apart with him, he enjoyed having me work at his side, toying and slaughtering all the obstacles that got in our way and I loved having someone to admire. While we fought, I lost myself to the excitement, I tried calming myself before a fight and after a fight but it never worked, as soon as the scent of blood and fear was caught in my nostrils I couldn't control the monster inside of me, it reared its head and it broke free. Alucard enjoyed that, as did I on a certain level...but...

I could picture a more warped version of That Night, the night of my purge, only it was my turning; I could picture Alucard restraining me as my body writhed and I screamed at the top of my longs, the human vocals cracking and tearing until this ethereal shriek broke free and my skin writhed into a thick green shield, claws growing form my fingertips and horns broke through my forehead. Bones cracked as wings broke free from my back and a tail whipped out underneath me, my fangs glistened as I tried to bite Alucard, but he laughed and there I was, his new toy.

The image altered and Alucard stood on a battle-field, impaled corpses standing up behind him and a crouching figure like macabre woodlands; I gnawed at my nails as he smirked, resting his hand upon the crouching figures head, she rose and I saw it was Her. Her reptilian, disfigured and demonic face grinned back with long fangs and all her other teeth were as razor sharp but resembled curled spines than teeth. The harsh breeze caught the two occult figures' hair and Alucard's coat, his grin widened as I carried on gnawing at my nail and trembling at the sight of a new me, something so absurd and obscene! "She's useful, entertaining," he called over the winds and moans slowly rising from the field of corpses behind them. The creature turned to look at me with impenetrable eyes, "This is the real you, you've denied me for so long, but you know I will not lie." She slowly stands up, the eerie demonic laughter I could liken to a banshee and Alucard joins in.

Yes, he would enjoy my change. But, then again, so would I. Power danced before me in satin and velvet robs of red and violet, his entrancing eyes mesmerizing me as he turned slowly in his dance, his hand outstretched to me as red and violet robes encompass me and the dance, which I would have stumbled and faltered to perform earlier, came to me so easily. My feet would barely touch the ground as we span on and on, the music building from the soft tinkling of a music box to the crescendo or a full orchestra. He introduced me to Vengeance and Justice (they were the twins, the Gemini, caught at the hip) and finally Liberty. With him at my side, forever shielding me from all those other intrepid woes, and he would help me have my vengeance, help me avenge all those that have been wronged by the freaks, help me finish the knowledge of my secret and finally ensure a quiet, wherein I could settle down- perhaps have children, if I could stomach being touched.

I returned to bathing, humming quietly to myself as I let my head drop into the bath water and felt the warm liquid run through my hair and massage my scalp. I started to sing, under my breath of course, the lullaby Barnibus used to sing at the piano to me if I woke up and mother wasn't there. It was German; naturally, as he was German himself, though all traces of his accent was lost as soon as we stepped out of that hell-hole—

I stopped. A memory- I saw you! Come back!- was there, right behind my eyelids, I could watch it! The long trek, the walk from that-- I tried to look back but it was black, my mind wouldn't allow me to see that, whatever it was, and so I skipped on, knowing that I was free. Four children skipped with me, a pair of 

twins. Two boys and two girls, I had no idea who they were, held my hand, looking sickly and weak but happy at being out in the night air. Barnibus strode ahead of us with my mother behind, both on the lookout...I opened my eyes and it was gone. I could smell it, feel it, taste the tears that had stained my face...and then as I endeavoured a venture back further the blackness, the stillness and...Agony!

The smell of burning flesh, of disease and waste, the taste of my own blood and my own saliva embittered by venoms and poisons, the feel of knives on my skin and a flash of those green eyes. Two perfectly hideous emerald gems discarded into the deepest burning pit of hell, wherein the flames animated them, made them glow and burn and scold all those that looked upon them. 'Your greed, your curiosity- all of those things- will kill you! I shall watch you perish in flames and anguish!' Those eyes screamed and laughed.

And just as abruptly my senses had been awakened to the memories they were destroyed and I was left in the bath panting and throwing my torso over the edge of the tub to take in a breath as my lungs implored for oxygen. I calmed myself and returned to the quiet repose and gradually fell into singing again.

Mother told me we'd come back from Germany after being treated badly- not ever elaborating- but never told me anything else, she never told me about the other children; to my knowledge it had only ever been my mother, Barnibus and myself. I returned to singing the German lullaby, knowing from my own knowledge of the language that it meant:

_Come out of the rain and storm, _

_And step into my sweet embrace,_

_I'll cradle you to chase away the nightmares,_

_That lurks within, as the night carries on,_

_I'll tell you of sweet places far from here,_

_A distance greater than the love of a mother_

_To her child,_

_To keep you from remembering that the night_

_Is long now and the day is crushed within its_

_Obscure grasp, but don't worry little child,_

_Because I am here and I shall not leave._

_Precious child, I shall not leave,_

_The storm shall come and go_

_And I will not leave you to the _

_Nightmare, I shall be your saviour_

_Sweet child and I shall protect you. _

_Precious child, I shall not leave. _

Barnibus had such a lovely voice, masculine and musical and wonderful, it always set ease into my heart as I had arcane nightmares, as the night seemed to close in around my throat and I could not breathe. He'd sit me at the piano and play that lullaby until I was calm and then we'd sing knick-knack-paddy-whack, or something a little more infantile. You could say that Barnibus was my father, he'd raised me, cared for me, loved me- I think- as his own from day one, he was my only remaining family.

I massaged the sweet smelling shampoo into my scalp and rubbed the lavender scented soap over my skin, still humming to myself as the luxury carried on. The lights in the bathroom reflected in the foamy water, glistening and flitting about like pixies across the water.

And what was more, Maximus was nearer to my grasp! I'd wring his neck, break it, rip out his jugular, smear his comrades with his own blood and eat him alive! That bastard had no right in learning my secret and possibly telling anyone else about it. Those that knew were worthy of knowing it! Though, since my being in Hellsing, a lot more people have seen it and know of it, they don't know its potential, but they know it's there, lurking, waiting in the shadows to rip any one of them apart.

An image of his snide, disgusting and thoroughly loathsome face ripped through my mind like a knife; the evening wherein I had laid my life down to destroy him and any traces of my secret or my blood was 

nagging at my mind, coiling around it, tighter, tighter, the sordid snake head rearing back to plunge the venomous fangs into the deepest recesses of my consciousness to rot it out so that only that night remained. There I was, poised on the sidelines as his cohort, Evelyn Charleston, one of the vampires that served him as a maid; he had taken a liking to me- as I had planned- and had invited me out for a nightly feeding and his back had turned (Oh, I can see it now, his short brown hair was slick with gels and glistened from the watery light cast by a nearby street lamp) and I had bounced forwards and branded him and his two colleagues had caught me and sliced open my throat- then, the only part of my body without a scratch, funnily enough.

I hadn't minded the pain, I could take it easily enough- after all, pain is arbitrary and your recognition of it only shows weakness, to fight the pain and carry on shows courage. But it was just that he had been so close...I knew there was no way i could have killed him then and there but I hadn't expected a simple branding to 1) take so long, 2) End so badly for myself, as I am no masochist and do not enjoy getting bettered at my own game. And it _was_ a game, and I had him in check now; the pieces were aligned, my new allies, Hellsing, were the means of his capture, my knights, pawns, bishops, rooks, etc. They had unknowingly given him to me; I could feel him just out of my grasp...so close...so, _bloody_ close.

My song was now pierced with laughter and I did not mind that I may have sounded mad, sitting in a bath singing and laughing like some crooked crone. I dashed away the last of the soap suds and stood up, bringing the song to a- if I don't say so myself- magnificent crescendo; how I love bathrooms, the acoustics were always fabulous for singing and the room just seemed to amplify the mellifluous lullaby in a raw and brusque language.

There was a knock at the door as I flung the towel around me, tugged the chain to the plug out with my toes and stepped onto the chilling tiled floor. Chills ran up through my carcass, as if this deathly thing could feel the cold? "Mmm?" I asked the door as an unexpected voice sniggered to me.

"I didn't realise you were performing the opera in there," I rolled my eyes in such an unladylike fashion my mother would writhe in her grave- _I wish she could, poor mother is probably trapped in the confines of hell itself right now_,I thought.

"Can I not sing anymore?" I asked tersely as I stood in front of the mirror and brushed out my hair.

"Well, if you sing- as beautiful as it sounds- could you sing quietly?" I braided the short locks quickly and ripped open the door to see his leering face, The General smirked at me as I snarled, "I'll sing however loudly I damn well please! If I want to, I could even strain my voice into such high-pitched notes that my own ears would bleed!"

"I would like to see you try," I shoved the disgusting man out of my way. Such strange, golden eyes were not normal and I would admit, though not lightly, that I had grown quite weary of them.

"If you don't mind, _General_, I wouldn't mind dressing," He shrugged and exited the bedroom with a strong and eye-catching departure that seemed to radiate control and power and I glared after him like a defiant child as the door slowly swung closed, catching a glimpse of the suit-clad fiend lounging in one of the chairs, a smirk at his lips as they returned to conversation. I frowned, how had I not felt that disgusting demon enter the room? Probably because I was too busy singing, thinking and being ecstatic to even care!

I pulled on a loose T-shirt and a pair of smart trousers- an unruly combination, but a comfortable one- and joined the boys. I say boys because they reminded me of those little scoundrels on the streets that used to talk together and fall silent as I came near. "Ah, so the schoolboys have been gossiping piteously?" I sat down in a chair and curled up, how beautiful this hotel was, how comfortable and luxurious.

I wouldn't be able to stand it after a while, but for now it was exquisite; the decorations, high ceilings and chandeliers were all very romantic, it just seemed a shame that this romantic atmosphere was marred by the presence of two occult and fiendish men sitting before me. One of which I admired and held in such high regard I was near enough to worshipping him and the other commanded me unconsciously, his whole aura screamed for me to keep my lies reigned in and to only tell the truth, to kneel when told and when to gouge out my own eyes. I suppose it was my blood. He was, after all, the demon that created my entire race, no wonder I was bound to become his submissive servant; I daresay, his magic tied the whole race to him, if he commanded 

them to cut off their fingers and enjoy the rare meat, we would all do so.

"Of course not, why would we bother gossiping?" The General took a glass off the coffee table and waved his hand, a fire leapt up in the grate and a sudden heat washed throughout the room as the fire slowly dissipated and danced joyfully instead of roaring aggressively. "We were just remarking what a wonderful voice you had," he smiled sincerely- oh, heaven applaud the fiend could smile sincerely! Yes, there was a flaw to his acting! His acting was real!

I felt my cheeks blush profusely, the unwanted admission to embarrassment irksome as I tried to chill the dull fires that burned my cheeks. Alucard chuckled to himself, "Surely, you aren't blushing?" He feigned surprise.

"Yes, I'm not accustomed to compliments, and I daren't get used to it," The General and Alucard both raised an eyebrow as I pulled myself to my feet and explored the kitchen, finding bags of blood stored within the fridge I turned to Alucard, "You don't mind if I have a snack?"

"Help yourself. I don't think I'll be drinking that much in the next few days anyway, if I did, I'd be worried," I pulled out a bag and found a knife, stabbing a hole at the top I drained it quickly and sighed as the familiar tingling ran along my tongue and down my throat and fire burnt in my stomach, finally the sudden burst of energy along my limbs came with the familiar hum and I felt invincible for a few moments. To prolong this, I sat back down with Alucard and the demon, hoping that the least amount of movement possible would protract the joyous swell of triumph and invincibility.

"So, General, how is it that you are able to get into this hotel and what are you going to do about an invite?- you do want to join the game, don't you?"

"Of course I do! Why the hell wouldn't I?" He grinned, "I was able to procure this-" he withdrew a golden invitation with a flourish "-a guest decided to change his mind." He chuckled darkly and a shiver ran up my spine at the hint of violent thoughts turning his eyes a burning gold- I loved the idea of a rich snob finally realising that his sheltered and artificial life was nothing and that pain reaches us all, even those who have the money to buy the means of eradicating it. "You may call me Charles Astor, one of England's finest bachelors." I scoffed, how despicable that he would take pride in something as dull as _that_? "May I ask who you and Alucard are?"

"James Brenner," Alucard inclined his head and then glanced towards me; I fidgeted needlessly as he answered for me, "and this is my fiancée, Marina Abendroth." The General laughed shortly.

"Hello, Mister Astor, pleased to meet you," I answered with a raw cadence originating from the Germans. The General smirked.

"A very good accent, may I ask who your inspiration was?" I opened my mouth to answer but closed it abruptly, in all honesty I didn't know where my accent came from, it was there even before the Germanic woman had stayed with us; I could remember quite clearly impersonating a German and my mother beating me for it. Mother had never been one to utilize corporeal punishment without a reason, but, for some reason, that had been the one day she had. "I don't know," I finally answered, "But I don't remember much."

I caught Alucard's look for a moment, a purposefully blank countenance, a slight glance in the opposite direction; the General nodded, "How old are you, demoness?"

"I don't know. If my mother was alive I'd ask her."

"Well, judging by your power and development, I would say you're around three-hundred, does that sound right?"

"I suppose. But I don't remember anything before 1978."

"Of course not. Hybrids never do, your mind is too human to store over one hundred years worth of information and as soon as you make the full change you'll remember everything."

"What does that mean?" I asked, "Stop telling me I'll 'change', the mental imagery of a butterfly escaping the confines of a cocoon comes to mind."

"It isn't as pleasant as that," he chuckled, finishing his glass of brandy and pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

"This is a non-smoking room, Agaliarept," I sighed, laying my head against the chair as the swell and hum died from my limbs and I was left with this clandestine murmur that asked for more and ached for a proper kill. God knows how Alucard could put up with it, surely he wanted to spread his wings and enjoy a bloodthirsty kill every once and a while? I know I did: the adrenaline, the shouts, the pleasure, the power, the humming of my own body as it replenished itself; oh, how could I ever give that up?

I turned my eyes to the fire as the flames jumped and danced in circles, gowns of red and orange swirling as arms of impalpable grey swirled about their heads in some tribal dance. My eyes started to close as my mind whispered on: _Door, balcony, fall, death, gun, table, door, cameras, lift, cameras, witnesses, freedom, punishment. Alucard, General- Wake up!_

I sat up abruptly, "I apologise, the heat makes me drowsy," The General shrugged nonchalantly and I was only just quick enough to see a flash of red disappear through a wall. "I take it he's gone off to see what he can find?"

"He's gone looking for exits; find out how many staff there is, all the usual information. He asks that you sleep, you look tired," The General turned his head from me abruptly and ran a hand along his chin and mouth as his forefinger and thumb traced down his great moustache. I shook my head and turned my eyes to the fire again, mentally insulting the demon bastard.

Before I knew it, my mind was awhirl with calculations and thoughts, gently humming as my body had before. The demons sat on the periphery of my sanity, just able to look in from the great beyond of insanity, tittering to each other as I hatched pointless plans and searched for memories, delving so far back I was searching through darkness and headaches. They stood up on dog-legs and ran with me along the wall that grew as the great tumultuous sea swelled against the stone walls, the roar of insanity growing louder as I tried to run further, all I could see now was the vague outline of the wall but I could still hear the pattering of furtive paws against cold and crumbling rocks, the sea roaring, the wind howling and the smell of rot and corpses hit me hard. Images flashed, too abrupt for me to comprehend their meanings, their origins, but as I carried on concentrating and carried on running, calling for the memories to come back, the flashing slowed and slow images played and finally I was touching it and...reliving it.

A boy stood before me, smiling congenially as I came through a door, his arms open wide. I liked his face, so soft, yet worn by time and mourning, his eyes were quite narrow but shone beautifully, his skin a beautiful olive against the stained white of his shirt, open at the chest to show off that beautiful skin and billowing at the wrist with lace in such a way that made me realise this was not possibly anywhere near the present. His platinum blond hair hung in charming waves around his face, I noticed the calluses upon his fingers as he held me to him and turned my face to look up at him; he couldn't have been more than seventeen. "_I've missed you, I thought you'd never come back,_" I knew the French well and his cadence was so beautiful, musical even. We kissed.

It felt odd to do this, I'd never kissed a male and felt something, but I had felt something for him. My heart soared, my mind reeled and my whole body sung to his touch and kisses. The kissing ended and he held me closer to him, running his large manly hands through my red hair, murmuring how strange and wonderful it was. I turned to the surroundings, the tiny kitchen, dining area and sitting area professing poverty, the lack of furniture only heightening this. The small window showed me a grand courtyard, horses were tethered in stables opposite and I realised he was but a poor stable-hand and I dressed like some kind of princess. It seemed so cliché, but so right.

He turned my face to his again and kissed me lovingly, deepening it and stepping forwards, dominating me until I backed up with him against a wall. My body started to burn, it felt alien and wrong to me now, but then I had known it to be right and wonderful! His hands ran over my dress, untying the back, running 

his hands through my hair as my own hands ran over his chest, too timid to undress him in return.

My head started to hurt and I pulled away, the pain seemed to wake me up."No, I can't," I whispered, my voice hoarse and dry with anxiety, his face softened, his thumb brushed across my cheek and I relaxed- how could I be nervous about him?

"I understand,"

"I know, it isn't that I do not love you, I do- I couldn't love you anymore than I do now- but...I don't think it's right without us being married,"

"I know, I'm a fool for asking something like that from you," He kissed my cheek, but I carried on talking, my mouth moving before my mind woke up.

"He wouldn't like it," He bristled, a sharp intake of breath in my ear signalled his disapproval of my ludicrous words.

"Why should you care about him? He treats you like a doll!" He stepped back and leant against the old table, hand on his hip and brown eyes now burning. My heart sank.

"I know, but-"

"Perhaps you don't want me finding out you've slept with him already, that you are not as innocent as you profess yourself to be," I felt my cheeks burn.

"No, I am still a virgin-"

"Prove it," He sneered.

"That monster looks down on everyone like he is God," he continued, "he treats you like a toy! Dressing you up and expecting you to always do as he commands! Your mother is just as insane to listen to that madman's folly!"

"He's looked after us, Thierry, he's kept us safe and clothes us and has fed us! Without him I would have died years ago!"

"But now you repay him with your soul?" He asked coldly, his warm brown eyes narrowing.

"No!" I stepped forwards and touched his arm as he jerked away, "I love you, I love you more than I've ever loved anything or anyone in my life! And I don't think I shall love again, you are my one and only, I want to spend my life with yo-"

"You won't spend it with me, as soon as evening comes that monster descends on us like the plague and steals you from me! Do you know what he said to me?" He asked, gripping onto my arms until aches ran along the limb, the tender flesh bruising easily.

"He hasn't said anything, he is a good man, he's our saviour-"

"He said you are his! That he will have you for his own and he will kill me if I intervene! He said how only a man could make you moan-" I cried out in disgust.

"Paris would never say that,"

"Paris is a monster, Paris uses your mother to get to you," Thierry made a noise of disgust, "If you could have seen him when you were getting down from you horse a few evenings ago, he was watching you like a hawk. It was disgusting how his eyes lit up and how he seemed to lick his lips,"

"Please, Thierry, don't say anything more," I clamped my hands over my ears as he persisted.

"You make such a show of not liking him like that! But I know what you two do at night! I saw him go into your room last week! He came out looking pretty satisfie-" the malice in his voice was unbearable and my anger flared, my hand came out to slap him.

He looked astounded, clutching his cheek like a wounded animal and then flew at me, throwing me against a wall and gripping onto my hair as I sat on my knees, small sobs building in my throat as he pulled my head back to look up at him. "It is true! You little whore!" Fury bloomed in an instant, the great rotten, black rose opening it's blooms to turn to the fire, the stem writhing and the roots digging into the soil like claws and my vision turned scarlet, shapes of blue and purple appearing over my eyes.

Thierry looked up at me from the table, I stood over him as I restrained him against the small table-top, I heard screeching so ethereal and haunting and it seemed to echo all about me. Thierry's nose was bloodied, his eyes wide with fear and anger.

Thierry came at me, yelling "monster!" at the top of his lungs as I reared my head and bit his shoulder, he fell to his knees. My vision blurred with tears as my limbs carried on moving even as my mind screamed 'no!'; my fingers worked over his body, breaking his ribs, ripping open his skin, my mouth ripped open his veins, my arms heaved his body and threw him around like a doll until the anger subsided and I threw myself into a wall as I fought to master control of myself again. _You said that it was going to help me! Not that it would mean you could control me like a pawn! _I sobbed inwardly and crawled over to his body, curling into a ball, my head rested upon his stone chest- unmoving, slowly cooling. My heart ripped into pieces.

I opened my eyes and sat bolt upright, I felt my skin was damp with a cold sweat, my mind hazy as the nightmare subsided and my heart aching as it started to slow again. I looked around me, the bedroom was soundless and the two demons were quiet, though a quick look through to the next room told me it was only The General I needed to be weary of. The bedroom door opened and he stood in the doorway with a mug, "warm blood?" He offered. I blinked and finally nodded in recognition.

The General strode over and sat down on the edge of the large bed, handing me the warm mug with a small and sincere smile at his lips. "Did you move me?" I asked after a few sips of the warm liquid, my mind automatically reminisced about the kills I had performed in the past as the warmth and tingling ran along my limbs to create the marvellous hum.

"Yes, it seemed like a good idea, you were moving about so much I thought you'd kill yourself on the coffee table," I snorted into the mug. His human features beamed humorously.

"Bad dream?" I nodded in answer, how could it not have been a bad dream? My thrashing and probably muttering would have only signalled the sheer horror of the nightmares unfolding behind my eyes, and that worst part was I didn't even think they were just dreams.

"I haven't dreamt in a while- well, I dream, but I actually remembered this one." Agaliarept nodded.

"You're coming up for the change, it makes sense,"

"Pardon?"

"It was probably one of your memories; my boys went through it just like that. I tell you one thing, having to stand by and tell someone everything that's happened in their life is quite taxing." He patted my shoulder almost sympathetically and I had to stop myself from flinching away, impoliteness would not improve his mood. "Come and sit by the fire with me, it will soothe you." He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me into the living room, where the fire still roared and a black screen in a cupboard beside the fireplace glimmered, funny how I hadn't noticed the television before. "There's another television in your room, it's in the wardrobe opposite the bed,"

I curled my legs beneath me on the sofa and finished off the mug, glancing at the little golden clock upon the mantelpiece ticking away. It was early morning, four thirty struck as I turned my eyes back to the fireplace. "So you are a father?" I asked, turning back to look upon his face, genuine interest probably etched 

upon my skin; as I really was interested- how could such a man be a father? He was so cruel and callous; but, saying that, I looked at the mug now sitting on the coffee table, so he could be thoughtful and kind...

"Yes, I have two sons, Eremir and Gregore," he answered quietly, reaching into his pocket, I waited for him to withdraw a wallet with pictures of his sons, though to have a wallet and pictures would be far too normal for him. Instead he stood up and sprinkled something in the fire, the smoke started to pour in thick, black plumes and slowly faces emerged from the smoke.

"Eremir is the oldest, Gregore is the youngest; they are such good boys, they are probably taking care of my army for the moment as I asked them to."

The formation of smoke finished and two faces looked at me, one slightly higher than the other. A man, probably no older than twenty looked back at me with beautiful features- far too beautiful to be real. His nose was pointed though slightly hooked like his father's, his eyes were hard and piercing, the forehead high enough to be respected and not look ridiculous, his mouth turned down at the corners as his father's did, the lower lip rounded and the upper lip thin with two perfectly chiselled peaks. He had high cheekbones and a light brow, his chin was pointed and clean shaven and his whole face was framed by elegant blond curls that could have been angelic if it weren't for the villainous glint to his blue eyes.

His brother was almost the complete opposite, not ugly, but not really that beautiful, he smiled back genuinely with the squared jaw of his father, his skin dark and smooth looking with black stubble running along the upper lip, chin and upper part of his neck. His black hair was cut short and close to his skull, which gave him an air that made you want to just listen to him and do as he ordered. He had a large, hooked nose which might have been broken during the course of a battle as it stood slightly crooked as well; he had full, smiling lips and a contradictory brow which seemed to be permanently furrowed with thick black brows that met in the middle. He seemed around nineteen, but definitely not twenty.

"Eremir is the more handsome and stern of the two, Gregore the more..." Agaliarept thought for a moment and then replied with a smile, "humorous and hyperactive- he gets that from his mother, his little quirks are through no fault of mine,"

"Humour is not a quirk, General, I should imagine it comes in useful in everyday life, helps make light of dire situations,"

"Oh, yes, it does have its advantages," The General smiled, our eyes locked during our conversation and I got the feeling he felt truly at ease to speak of his family, "but it's just these tiresome shenanigans of his. Unlike his brother, his origins have a slightly more human twist to them so he can disappear to America and England and all those other places whenever he wishes- though he can only spend a month here before dying in a tragic accident- so he picks up a lot of pranks to use on us, his innocent family. Perhaps you have met him?" I chuckled.

"It is a large world, Agaliarept, I'm afraid I cannot remember all the faces I see in the streets and in restaurants," Agaliarept smiled sheepishly, a flash of human emotion glimmering in his eyes before being dragged down to its silent grave amongst the stoic facade.

"I suppose so; no-one outside of hell knows I have sons, I've tried to keep their existence secret so they might not be summoned relentlessly by women and men,"

"It is an understandable decision; may I ask how old they are?"

"You'll do quite the double-take," he chuckled to himself and broke the eye contact to look at the two faces still levitating near to the fire, the smoke swirling restlessly, the facial expressions turning slightly, "Eremir, the oldest, is around thirteen hundred and fifty and Gregore was seven hundred and seventy in August." True to the General's word I did quite the double-take, taking in their expressions, the physiognomy with a heightened interest, though surely those ages were young for demons.

"That is quite old, am I right?"

"Not particularly. It depends on what race they are, all my children are hybrids and hybrids mature faster and work differently to normal Soldier Demons. Their appearance alters constantly, around three human years every year until they reach the appearance and mental maturity of an eighteen-year-old, then it slows and takes over five hundred or so years to age one single human year and they don't develop as demons for quite a while." The smoke dispersed and the two, now angry, countenances disappeared with ghostly sighs, I marked the General's own face, taking in the faint lines of scars, the lines of years of wear and thought his appearance was around forty nine or so, and if that was the case then the General was about...my mind raced at calculating his age around twenty thousand! I was sitting next to a twenty-thousand-year-old demon! Well, all things considering, he was quite a fine and distinguished looking man for that age.

"You've just troubled yourself with calculating my age, am I right?" His eyes shone and a sardonic chuckle rolled in his throat as my slight blush confessed his expectations. "But your calculations might be slightly off as my appearance changes each time I enter earth; I am only twelve thousand."

"You are ancient compared to me! But then again I can only remember 1978 onwards- I have been bludgeoned at some point to have lost so many years, but never the matter. Though you calculated my age at three-hundred earlier."

"Well, your memory loss is normal, as I've already said, a demon's mind can store a million years worth of information without any problems, but I'm afraid a human brain cannot stand that much information retention- even though they store far less information than us- and a human mind can only last at a maximum of one hundred years. That would put you as a little over a hundred; though your manners and your own speech tell me you may have lived longer still." My brow crumpled, the idea that I was around the same age as Barnibus astounded me, I was one of the Old Ones and I didn't even know it! Though, how old I did not rightly know.

"Once you go through the change your memory should come back, the change won't be pleasant- it never usually is- but afterwards you will feel refreshed and unburdened." I scoffed in disbelief and rested my head against the back of the sofa.

"I doubt it, to know my past may be to sentence myself to an eternity in hell,"

"Oh, don't bother with that, with every bad turn there is always something good and happy to enjoy- urgh, I sound like my wife," The General visibly shuddered, though a tilt of his usually displeased mouth said otherwise, perhaps he found the optimism enlightening. "Will you tell me about your dream?"

For once since I had met him, I did not feel forced into telling him; before, I had felt this strange grasp upon my tongue that seemed to control me and tell me to confess to him; but now I felt more relaxed and I told him willingly. "I was with a lover, we were happy until I mentioned someone and then it all went downhill from there. We fought, at first it was a silly argument, but it started to bloom into something far more aggressive, we fought each other, slapping and biting and shouting and then...I don't know, it was like someone in my head snapped and I was left watching what happened, creating my own argument in my head to someone. Finally, I looked down at what was left of him and I've never felt so much...pain."

"Did he get back up and hurt you?" he asked, the displeased frown replaced with a bemused look, I frowned, not completely comprehending what he had thought me to mean until a moment later.

"Oh, no. I meant emotional pain. I have felt physical pain and it is nothing compared to this emotional torture, it is crippling and heart wrenching and I thought my whole world had ended. I think I might have loved him,"

"Love? My dear you are mistaken, no demon can love,"

"People say that and they believe that, but..."I mulled over my argument for a moment, "They believe evil cannot love, they called the Generals at Auschwitz evil and yet, after a long day performing the rituals of a holocaust, they went to a sweet shop and bought sweet things for their family. They embraced their children before they went up to bed, embraced and kissed the children's' mother- if evil cannot love, how could they have done that?"

"Simple, demoness, it is called 'acting', perhaps you are familiar with the phrase?" I scowled, turning my head away from him as I decided upon my next argument.

"Can you honestly tell me that you have never felt any sort of emotion towards your wives?" The moment the question left my lips, I regretted it, his frown deepened and his mouth turned down much more than usual, his eyes burning with disapproval until he seemed to calm down and answer: "Not my wives, a lover, yes. You are right, though, for us demons, love may feel different to human-love. Humans feel a dizzying sense of euphoria when they see their lovers, right?"

"I suppose,"

"And we demons want to spend every moment with that lover, want to protect her and make sure no-one else touches her,"

"That sounds almost human if you ask me,"

"But I didn't ask you," The General sniffed tersely, "Humans are not as predatorily orientated as us, nor do they feel the need to have the other one bare their children." The fire started to die, the only light in the room coming from the moon, the lights below the balcony and the automatic lights along the wall outside, which cast long shadows along the floor, until a third danced out of nowhere over us. "Eventually they do," I answered.

Alucard sat down in the armchair next to me, "Did I miss the conversation?" he asked, his voice slightly apathetic- as it had a tendency to sound after an evening where he had not "stretched his wings". "We were just debating whether demons can feel love, and whether anything evil can feel love," I answered. This seemed to make the vampire all the more disinterested.

"Evil is twisted, and twisted husks cannot feel emotions save the negative ones that fuel their rampage, it is elementary, Molly." The small golden clock upon the mantelpiece chimed five o'clock and Alucard sighed, glancing towards the balcony doors as a glimpse of sunrise lit up the trees of St James' Park. "I might as well sleep, then, good morning, Agaliarept, Molly."

"I suppose I might as well try to sleep a little more before doing a little reconnaissance in a few hours. Where will you be sleeping, general?" The General shrugged.

"I'm afraid, I don't sleep, that is one luxury I might not partake in; but I shall rest my eyes just here, if it's alright?"

"Okay, do you want a pillow; I only tend to use one?" At the general's acquiescence I stepped back into the bedroom and picked a pillow off the bed, noting the faint movement in the coffin as Alucard got comfortable and I headed back into the living area and handed the pillow to the General.

"Thank you for making me a drink and keeping me company," I smiled gratefully as the General reclined against the sofa and ran his fingers over his large moustache.

"It's my pleasure, Demoness; I had nothing better to do." The General waved me off and I ducked back into the bedroom, closing the door behind me quietly so as not to wake the vampire in the coffin at the end of the bed.

The sheets were cool as I slipped back in-between them, which I was thankful for as warm sheets irritate me and keep me up at night and I closed my eyes as my head hit the pillow, slowly drifting into an unconscious state while pinpointing escape roots in the hotel that I knew so far and while wondering whether Alucard dreamt at all. Do vampires dream? I had never asked my mother that, nor had I asked Barnibus, but perhaps I could pose the question to Red when he awoke.

An image of Alucard dressed in his best suit entered my mind and my mind replayed the scene from inside the car as we meandered through the melee of youngsters on their way to a rowdy club, in which they 

would probably enjoy hours of promiscuous sex, adulterous flirtations and over-zealous drinking. I was glad he hadn't noticed my looking at him as he watched the lights flash past the windows, the colours an eerie shimmering across the glass of other cars and our own windows until it was warped and it felt like we were driving across a seabed, the lights obscured by murky British waters.

I had never seen Alucard dressed formally; it was habitual for him to wear that red duster, black slacks and hunter boots and so to see him in a formal suit, dressed up for the occasion, had entranced me slightly. Unbeknownst to him, I caught a glimpse of his past, he didn't only just don a suit and slick back his hair, he also donned a whole different persona- his old self. Even his aura changed slightly, it fluxed between the clear white to a golden and silver haze- something I had never seen before. This old Alucard mesmerized me, overwhelmed me even and if I had not already admired him so I might have turned my ear to listen to every command he gave me and acted upon them.

And then, of course, there was the General's own thoughts that I was older than I could remember; if that was so then how old was I? Was I young compared to some or was I insanely old? I could be a thousand years old and not know it! No, I couldn't, I would have matured into my demonic heritage by now if that were so. It made my mind whirl thinking about this, about how, when I did finally mature, I could mature into something fabulous or incredibly disgusting, I will have stronger senses, I could look different and be different- my whole personality could crumble to be replaced with this bloodthirsty creature! I'd been fighting those killer instincts and that inherited sadism for so long, to be told that my fighting was futile was crushing.

Bitterness danced in front of my pessimism, snarling at me with curved fangs and unblinking, wide eyes as it snarled, "And wouldn't the Vampire like that?" He truly would, hadn't he been the first to point out my new found optimism and called it naivety? Hadn't he fought me? I would agree that I had brought my new-found sense of optimism too far and had pushed upon the boundaries of stupidity and naivety, but he had had no need to have been so harsh!

And, again the same images were conjured as I slipped into unconsciousness, I could picture it now, no doubt Alucard would have to restrain me during my change and I could picture the look upon his face, the look of a child with a new toy; I could picture myself arching beneath him as some kind of thick flesh grew over my skin, as claws grew from my finger tips and wings burst out from my back, my face slowly taking on this demonic leer, no humanity could be seen in my physiognomy and still Alucard grinned. The image changed and we were in a field, taking down freaks, vampires, witches- anything- and I danced from one figure to the next, leaving nothing but deformed, bloody corpses in my wake as Alucard shot them to hell. As magnificent as it sounded, a deadly waltz of bloodlust, it was also a little scary; everything human to me would disappear, perhaps there would be no stopping me, perhaps I would just carry on, killing, maiming, slaughtering; not even children would be safe from me.

Oh, God, I would be the demon that parents tell horror stories about to their children to scare them into being good...

The Alucard in my head, standing beside this crouching demonic pet, laughed at me as I gnawed my nails hopelessly. "Embrace it, Molly, it could be fun," his eyes flashed ruby-red and the wind caught his hair, the tendrils seemed to form claws in the air and I stood there glaring at them both. To be powerful, to be able to _destroy_ all the freaks that called themselves vampires, to _mutilate_ those that were not worthy of living- that would be magnificent. The righteous sadist inside of me smiled and bowed to the new me, relishing the power that slowly flooded my veins and buzzed through my skin, but the human in me whimpered and tried to flee; though I've always been righteous and this side of me was so much stronger, the human was over-powered and I realised: I couldn't wait until the day that the sinners would cower and flee before me. On that day it will rain blood and fire and I shall finally get my revenge and live a quiet and secret life.

**A/N: Well...there you are! I don't think Marie is back yet, so I'll be betaing it myself (don't shoot me) again. GOD! This soundtrack rocks! Seriously! It gave me so much inspiration for the opening Alucard POV where he's looking at the building...that probably makes the music sound lame, but it has build up and it makes me feel like I'm actually directing the scene myself, y'know? Hey, now that sounds lame as well! But I mean it, my imagination helps me so I can actually do all the panning and the scaling of the building- I forget the technical name for this camera shot, but then again I haven't done media studies in a WHILE. If I could I would video tape my brain and send it to you guys, because there is one down-side **

**to writing: people see things differently from the words...like ...SOME people read between the lines (and really make me go "squeeee"- in a good way) and others can't actually SEE what's going on in their "inner eye" and just read (personally I don't understand this, but meh, whatever floats your boat). Anyway, those aside...have a good double whammy and leave me your thoughts (in review form). **

**Another thing: is Molly's talking becoming too colloquial? I thought it was nowhere near as good as the other two POVs (there were 2, right?) but, give me your thoughts on that as well! **


	26. Nachdem Die Sonne Hinabgeht

**Alucard**

**Chapter 26**

**A/N: I haven't been able to sleep recently, I know why, but I shan't be divulging that information to you anytime soon, teehee. Anyway, there is a part of me that doesn't want to sleep and therefore I shall not submit it to a want it does not want. So I sit here now, drinking coffee (I never drink coffee- god knows I'm short enough with bad British teeth as it is) with extra sugar (for sugar-hype) and milk (so I feel too icky to think about sleeping). Now, I know all you will probably be thinking that I'm forcing myself to stay awake, well...in a way I am...but that is mainly because I want to get a new chapter out to you guys as soon as! :D**

**Hey, thanks to PetBunny and FleetingGlance, I haven't heard from you two in a while and it's great to hear from you now! XD been on vacation? If so...I WANT DETAILS!! **

**I would like to quickly remind everyone that Alucard is not mine, nor is Integra, Walter, Seras, Pip...yada yada...it is simply Molly, Barnibus, Beatrice, Corinne, Mathias, Paris, Thierry, Stephen...etc who are miiiine. Also,if you get confused because Alucard refers to Molly as marina it is only because she is acting Marina, there isn't really anything remotely Molly-esque about her...hope you understand that. Anyway! Let the show begin!**

I felt Molly edge around my coffin, the shifting of the floorboards confessing her shifting her weight from each foot. I heard her crouch down next to my dominion, cautiously resting her hand against the top, I snarled inwardly, though cooled down as she whispered, "Not wishing to disturb you from a content slumber, my vampiric companion, but I am about to get ready for the Ball and I would rather not have you wake up while I'm stumbling around in my underwear," I laughed inwardly, checking my internal clock and noting that it was a few moments past sunset- that wasn't egregiously early, I could forfeit a few extra moments slumber for her dignity, though I'd already seen her in her bare-chested a few times before- though, understandably, not since her new development.

She returned to her feet as I pushed open my coffin and stood over her, "For future reference though, Molly, please do not touch my coffin,"

"I apologise, I'll remember that for next time," I cocked an eyebrow and paused at the door.

"Well, I certainly hope there won't be a next time, otherwise you may find yourself looking for a new hand," Molly chuckled, regardless of my seriousness and hummed to herself as she pulled off her t-shirt and I closed the door behind me.

The General stood on the balcony, smoking in the new veil of darkness, tapping his fingers against the metal rail. "Good evening, General," he glanced over his shoulder as he took the cigarette between his fingers and exhaled smoke into the air.

"Could you close the door behind you, Alucard, Molly will have a heart attack if she realises I'm smoking," The pulled the double doors closed behind me and joined the demon against the rail, he offered me a cigarette and out of boredom I gratefully inhaled the sordid fumes and looked out upon the city stretching before me; our room being at the top floor, we had one of the best views of this side of London and I felt like a monarch glaring down upon his subjects as expensive cars pulled up into the garage and car park below. Already, the wealthier of subjects had arrived for the Ball, their cars discarded for the submissive valets to take care of- God forbid the snobs had to actually park.

"How long do you think it will take Molly to get ready?" I asked the General, the breeze came in a sudden cold chill and brushed my hair away from my neck, the coat across my shoulders billowing slightly as the smoke from the cigarettes between my lips furled and dispersed into the atmosphere. "Vampire, for someone who has lived so long, you do not seem to know women at all- you never ask how long they're going to be, to do that would be to disappoint yourself when you're late,"

"A few hours, then?" I sighed, hoping silently that the General had enough cigarettes on his person to fill those long and dull hours. The scent of shower gels drifted from the ajar window of the bathroom at the end of the balcony and the sound of Molly's singing echoed out into the darkness. Agaliarept smiled, "I really do love her singing," he sighed contentedly as Molly's operatic voice broke free from a more quiet and whispery 

chorus and into a swelling verse, where the notes lengthened into the wavering and long notes of a professional opera singer. The general and I had discussed her voice the night before as she had sung quietly to herself in German only to slowly grow louder and catch the General's interest.

I recognised this particular song to be one written by one of her favourite bands, her voice matching if not surpassing the vocals of the lead-singer and the General's smile broadened, "Well, at least our boredom can be deter by some entertainment." Molly fell silent as the last of the smells from the scented soaps lingered in the air and then dispersed. Molly continued with her singing, the bathroom door slamming behind her; the general stubbed out his cigarette on the rail and flicked it over the edge, "Perhaps we should have something to eat before our little venture?" He opened the doors, his superior gait commanding as he entered the living room and opened the fridge in the kitchenette, throwing a bag of blood at me and making himself a cup of tea.

The two of us returned to the seating area, talking quietly about times past, about the disgusting demons that were escaping from hell so easily and the freaks being mass-produced for armies and other uses. "If you ask me," the general sniffed irately, "humans are getting too arrogant, they create creatures to prove that they can be god, when all they're really doing is proving they can take a role as Kali's own agents of destruction." The bedroom door opened and Molly's head popped out from a narrow gap between the double doors.

"Uh, I didn't really think my attire through entirely, I tried it on with Seras, so..." The General rolled his eyes.

"What now?"

"Part of my outfit is a corset, I can't do it up without someone's help," I smirked, trust a woman to be so rapt in making a grand entrance in flowing skirts and then not think of the practical side of it all.

"General?" She asked after a moment, her habitual lip-nibbling starting as he shook his head.

"I've never been good with those things; I broke my last wife's ribs," Molly frowned and looked at me expectantly.

"I only have my usual attire and the outfit from last night-"

"Fine," I sighed, "Give me a moment," Molly disappeared back into the room and I sighed, standing up to return a couple of glasses to the kitchenette.

"Good luck, those things are god awful," the General swung his legs up onto the sofa and puts his arms behind his head, his eyes following me as I paused at the door and rapped my knuckles against the white painted wood. Molly called for me to enter, the scent of floral perfumes lingered in the air, her hair was already placed upon her head expertly, a portion of it piled on top of her head with small jewelled accessories buried in the restrained locks, while the other portion hung down in glossy waves the fringe across her forehead complemented the sophisticated hairstyle.

She wore a long floor length red skirt and held the corset to her as I motioned for her to turn around, threading the back uncertainly, "How tight do you want it?" I asked as Molly stumbled forwards and rested her arms against the poster of the bed.

"Quite tight," She answered. As I pulled the chords tighter the tips of my gloves become entangled and I untied the chords to free my gloves, pocketing them with an exasperated sigh as I began again. "Having trouble back there?"Molly giggled.

"Would you prefer to do it yourself?" I asked tersely, tugging hard, Molly gasped, "oh, too tight?" I asked sarcastically. My fingers brushed across her skin, she bristled and I paused, "Sorry, did I put pressure upon one of the wounds?"

"No, your hands are cold," a small smile crept to the corners of my mouth as I carried on wending and weaving, tightening when instructed. Molly's hair fell from her shoulders and obscured the corset; I brushed the auburn back up over one of her shoulders, pausing to admire the curve of her neck and elegant slope of her shoulders, the slight shadow of black where her veins ran up from her spine and wended around her throat and 

up into her skull. "Looking forward to this evening?" Molly asked conversationally as I recommenced the tightening of the corset, finally reaching the bottom as I answered apathetically, "I suppose, though it would be irksome if it turns out to be a complete waste of our time." Molly turned around to show off the scarlet corset, the small golden flowers caught the light from the sconces and glistened slightly. She turned towards the bed and donned a red coat that was made in some kind of veil material, which covered the tell-tale scars on her back but didn't make it obvious she was hiding anything.

"Well, let's make sure it isn't a waste of our time, God Forbid you get bored," her nose wrinkled with a smile, she disappeared into the bathroom, returning a few minutes later with a gloss upon her lips which accentuated the burgundy of her nibbled-lips, the new grey-green of her eyes was framed by faint grey eyeliner a slight lilac shimmered across her eyelids and finally she slipped the fake engagement ring onto her finger. "I love playing dress-up, don't you?"

"It can be amusing." I leant against the doorway as Molly rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out a silver music box, opening it to reveal necklaces and bracelets, the tinkling of a song wavering and rippling in such a way that informed its listeners it was just about ready to be thrown away. She picked a thick choker, a small, oval pendant of silver glistened in the small hollow at her throat, a pearl glistened in the centre as the pendant swung as Molly's fingers wrapped around the back and worked the clasp.

"What time is it?" Molly asked as she sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on a pair of high-heels.

"Eight, we've got half an hour to kill, but I don't suppose there's anything stopping us from arriving early." Molly stopped in front of me, a congenial smile wrinkling her nose for but a second until she stepped closer, our bodies almost touching, and sniffed.

"I hope you weren't smoking in the suite," she gagged, frowning deeply. I leant in and sniffed at her neck, she bristled.

"I hope you don't think all that perfume has covered up that grotesque smell of your blood," I countered; Molly poked my ribs as we exited the bedroom.

"Fine, I won't say anything more about that disgusting habit if you stop poking fun at the way my blood smells," Molly scowled, leaning down to rummage through a bag beside one of the armchairs, she produced the SW1911 and a couple of daggers and finally a second necklace.

"I'm sorry, did I offend you?" The General's chuckle at our sniping was cut short as his eyes fell on the silver necklace that Molly pulled over her head, a coat or arms glistened, the raised pattern greying in places from years of neglect. "Oh, no, of course not!" Molly replied sarcastically, lifting up the bag onto the armchair's arm and rummaging through the bag angrily. "Where the deuce did I put the invitations?"

I pulled the two invites out from my breast pocket; Molly smiled sheepishly dropping the bag, "Fine, let's go." She slipped a silver-bladed dagger into a high-heeled boot and strapped a gun holster to her thigh, slipping her favourite SW1911 into its hold. The General stood up and flexed his fingers, "Well, shall we make our meeting in the lobby look coincidental? Or shall we acquaint ourselves with each other at the ball?"

"Perhaps we could meet at the ball," I answered as Molly picked up a clutch purse, a silencer and a small phial of holy water hidden within.

Molly and I took the lift back down to the lobby while the General disappeared over the balcony edge and entered through the main doors.

The lobby buzzed with wealth, the air, already pungent with an assortment of expensive perfumes and colognes, reeked to high heaven, the bellboys drooped and panted by lifts with carts of luggage and arms full with bags, management staff seethed quietly as arrogant, wealthy guest after arrogant wealthy guest ordered them around, complaining about the pillows not being soft enough, the bathroom not being big enough; the endless tirade of pointless complaints echoed around the lobby with shrill tongues clicking obstinately.

"Isn't it a lovely evening, James?" Marina commented as we came to the ballroom, an exhausted looking bellboy waited beside the room, checking invites.

"I do believe that accent belongs to the lovely Marina!" Came a cheerful baritone from behind us, we both turned to see "Charles" stopped just short of us, Marina gasped.

"Oh, my lord! Charles, how vonderful to see you! I haven't seen you since the dinner dance last year!" Marina kissed both his cheeks in a general greeting, Charles shook my hand in a friendly gesture while digging the invite from his suit pocket and, holding it poised between forefinger and centre finger, handed it to the sagging figure by the doorway. "James, we need to catch up, my old friend, perhaps we can sit at the same table?"

"There is a seating arrangement, sir," came the weak reply. Charles waved his hand to dismiss the ghostly figure's statement and replied:

"Nonsense, I'm sure someone would be willing to swap with me if it meant I would be able to catch up with my old friends," Marina giggled girlishly and clicked into the ballroom, Charles and I in tow behind her.

"I see Marina has finally become a more permanent attachment," Charles started as we stepped into the ballroom and away from the gathering crowd, the subject quickly changed before it had even developed, "So, what's the plan?"

"Simple really, mingle; we'll see how things go," I whispered through a smile as I took a glass of wine off a tray held by a waiter. Marina stood at the bar as the bartender poured her a glass of orange juice, she flashed a charming smile, her fingers lingering on the glass for a moment to touch the bartender's hand. "Aren't you worried there, my friend?" Charles asked as she headed back to where we stood, the moonlight filtering through the tall, sweeping windows.

"Not at all, she knows where she stands," It was quite intriguing to see the two demons slipping so far into their characters that they refused to surface as themselves for the entire evening. Molly was no longer the cold, sadistic sexist she had been, Marina took over and she was, possibly, the complete opposite of Molly's predetermined character: she was flirtatious, congenial and talkative; likewise, Charles was charming, kind and generous.

The ballroom slowly filled up, the canvas of the large hall awash with sparkling sequins and diamonds, blues, reds, floor-length gowns and sexy cocktail dresses and expensive suits; the band played slow ballads and Marina and I took to the dance floor. _**May I ask if you can dance?**_

_Of course! Everyone should know how to dance! _I took Marina's hand in mine, my hand resting at her waist as I lead her into an elegant waltz, her heels clicking in time to the music as I span her around and marvelled at the movement of her skirts. _So, while Marina was off flirting with the bartender, did you stumble upon our target? _Molly's mind buzzed with excitement as Channel No.5 wafted in our direction and the music played softly. _**Can't say I did,**_ Marina winked as I span her again, my hand returning to her waist, the red material vibrant and comforting in my instant of reminiscence beneath the pure white of my glove. _Well, guess who I heard at the bar? _

_**Oh, I'm intrigued. **_

_Rick Bradbury. _

_**I'm afraid I don't follow, perhaps you've had one orange juice too many? **_

_Rick Bradbury is the bastard that laughed as his twin gave me the rather _beautiful _scar upon my throat. Anyway, guess who he is posing as? _

_**Aah, so the vampire is the decoy? How did I know this charade would be a waste of time? **_

"So pessimistic, my dear," Marina chortled. _I know you're upset you won't be able to put an end to that wretched monster's life, but...we have a very good lead- Rick has a fetish for unavailable women, an addiction to comfort and a monstrous phobia of the unknown. We know exactly how to get to him and how to coerce our needed information from his snivelling lips. _Now that _was _good news, though, even without that information I would have been able to identify his weaknesses, use them against him and brutally terrorize him into co-operation. I dropped Marina to my waist gracefully as the song came to a close and a smile spread 

across my lips, my mouth watering with the promise of blood.

Marina and I returned to our friend's side; Charles introduced us to couples, the small talk only bearable because the assurance of it ending approached; the false laughter and acting growing tedious quickly.The dance floor was alive with dancing; the tables dotted around the edge were all occupied with chortling millionaires and their greedy trophy wives and I got the feeling I wasn't the only one tiring of something tedious, doting trophy wives' faces stretched into unnatural smiles, eyes bored and unsmiling as their throats strangled out another laugh at their wealthy and ancient looking husbands' joke.

Marina didn't just stop with small talk, flirting with handsome bachelors and the barman, fluttering her eyelashes and smiling coyly, knowingly giving off all the right singles for the men around her to move in."Marina, perhaps you should remember that you have a fiancé," my character whispered as she returned with blushing cheeks after one of these men made a move- whispering something dirty into her ear. Though I seemed to exude the jealous fiancé, my only qualm was where Marina's head was: _**keep focused**_, I ordered tersely.

A bell at the front of the stage tolled and one of the management staff- I remembered him as the smile that had greeted us the night before- announced that it was time for us to take our seats in the next room, the more grand and expensively decorated section of the restaurant. My hand settled at the small of Marina's back as we made our way towards the large double doors, pausing at the board which held the seating plan, quietly acknowledging that Maximus and his guest were sitting on our table. "It'll be a perfect evening," Marina whispered up to me, Charles already sat at the table introducing himself to the decoy, his date and a seventy year-old millionaire and faithful wife.

The lofty ceilings held glimmering chandeliers, the beautiful miniature rainbows thrown over the coving and two-tone blue vertically striped wallpaper in a masterpiece of colour; just over a dozen circular tables were placed around the room, pristine white table cloths overlaid with lace, silver cutlery glistened with spotless glass flutes and wine glasses glaring up at the ceiling. I did a double-take at the silver cutlery, how did I know? I cringed inwardly as I made to sit down at table seven, shaking hands with the occupants and eying the figure that was supposedly... "Maximus Engel." a short and stocky brunette pumped my hand enthusiastically, not at all exuding wealth. (_Oh, he must be new to all this, then,_ thought the millionaire's brunette wife.) I had always found Maximus' surname incredibly ironic, "Engel" meaning Angel in English and the disreputable slug was anything but angelic.

Marina introduced herself and we both sat down, my eyes watching Maximus as he fussed over his phone, frowning at a recent text message as Charles incorporated his date and the older couple in a conversation. Marina's fingers darted towards the cutlery in front of me, removing each fork and knife and replacing it with a small set of metal cutlery, the designs quite similar but would go noticed after the evening had ended. _**You didn't have to do that, Molly.**_

_It's better this way, you don't hide a foul mood well and I need you to stay focused this evening, as well as your flinching might draw attention that we don't rightly need at this moment in time._

I wondered how the freak would fair with the cutlery, my eyes fell to the pattern and realised he must have swapped the cutlery over earlier during the introductions, or even before then, as the patterns were different albeit uncannily similar. Charles ran his fingers over the forks with a cocky smile at his lips, perhaps it was only blessed silver that repelled him; the faithful wife, Olivia, noticed where his fingers rested and smiled, "They are lovely cutlery sets, aren't they?"

"Oh, very beautiful, I don't think I can see a single morsel of dust on them," He answered back, his eyes glistening as the performance carried on. We did not lack in conversation, deciding to first start with talk of work, the millionaire, Frank, boasted openly about his shares in oil companies and electronic companies- including Microsoft, Sony and Apple- and his hobbies of reconstructing classic cars, while his wife talked lightly of her teaching primary school students at Rhydes Hill Prep school east of Surrey, Charles muttered something about fixing up boats, yachts and the like and selling them off and I turned to Maximus expectantly.

"And vhat do you do, Mister Engel?" Marina asked as she signalled to a waiter and asked for a final glass of orange juice.

"Me?" He laughed nervously, running his hand through his hair, "Nothin' important: pharmaceuticals 

and I have a few shares in Molmally's genetic program," he glanced over his shoulder to a red-headed woman in blue beside a window, his eyes narrowed and he turned back as Marina smiled excitedly.

"'Nothing important'? But, Mister Engel, you prowide medicine for the ill, fathers are in the streets teaching their sons and daughters to ride bicycles because your medicine keeps their diabetes in check! Nonsense, Mister Engel, your vork prowides families vith hope, you must be a wery compassionate man," Marina leant across the table, resting her hand upon his, his date sniffed and sulked giving me a look that screamed: _And you let your fiancé flirt with my date? _

"Not particularly, Miss Abendroth-"

"Oh, please, it is Marina."

"Well, then, um, Marina, I...er...have to say that not everyone in the pharmaceutical business is very compassionate, there is money in the business after all- especially if you have the right contacts."

"Yes, my dear, not everyone in that business is a philanthropist," I turned my eyes to her, glancing over the black sunglasses to see a disapproving look on her face.

"Vell, that is...disappointing, but," she smiled brightly, "I'm sure that Mister Engel-"

"Please, call me Max," he grinned, flashing slightly pointed canines.

_"Max_- has a heart at least." The doors at the other end of the room opened as a bell rang and excited chatter started in anticipation of the expensive meal, waiters weaved between the tables with blank and superior looks to their faces, leaning between each person to place the plates in front of the tables at the very end first, lifting up the silver lids to show steaming bowls of soup or the fruit appetiser. Marina clapped her hands together excitedly at seeing the fruit arranged on her plate in an artistic way, raspberry juice trickled over large slices of melon and segments of strawberries and mangos placed around the edge. "Oh, how lovely, vell, I must say i am already wery impressed," she smiled to me and popped a segment of mango into her mouth, closing her eyes briefly, "I approve greatly, wery delectable."

"So what do you two do?" Maximus asked as he mixed the soup around absent-mindedly.

"We have our own auction-house, we dabble in antiques and sell genuine pieces of Victorian and Edwardian artwork and furniture," I answered, supposedly joining Molly in eating the fruit salad starter.

"Really?" Maximus asked, taking a hesitant sip of soup.

"Yes, it is a wery interesting market, though ve're not really based in England," Marina continued for me, "as you can probably tell from my accent, I speak horrible English."

"Not at all," Olivia piped up, "I think you speak beautifully, much better than some of the English people here. I was served by a nice Oriental boy a couple days ago, he was pleasant and all- don't get me wrong- but his accent was so thick I thought I might need an interpreter to understand him, poor dear,"

"Yes," Frank finished off his soup and sat back, "I've noticed that too, quite an influx of foreigners. Though they bring some beautiful cultures, they also bring with them their accents," he sniffed tersely and brushed down his suit. Maximus finished his soup, shortly followed by a ravenous Charles, Marina and, finally, myself. The waiters waited a few minutes until they cleared away the plates in the same elegant parade, the band, now occupying a low stage by the doors to the ballroom, played quietly to give the restaurant area a pleasant ambience. _Have you noticed he keeps looking over to that woman by the window? _Molly asked, sipping her orange juice, her eyes trained on "Maximus" as he looked over at the woman for the fifth time in the space of ten minutes. _**How could I not? What do you think he's going to do? **_My question was answered as he excused himself to visit the toilets and just as he re-entered the room, one of the management staff asked that the woman follow him to the desk. Naturally, the poor woman obliged him and followed him out- we didn't see her for the rest of the evening, and Max seemed to be more at ease for the rest of the evening.

_Ok, well, Maximus will certainly be happy with these lot: a flirt who's eager to please and be pleased, a greedy millionaire, his agreeable wife and a flirtatious bachelor who could no doubt be easily swayed. And _

_then there's the big guy, easily jealous, with connections to Germany...yeah, he'll be happy with these lot. _Maximus thought jubilantly as the bell rang again and the waiters appeared again, doing the same dance, as it were, and setting plates down in front of us and lifting off the top to reveal over-large shot glasses filled with a thick, beige coloured liquid and small tea-pots sitting beside them. Marina frowned, "May I ask vhat this is, vaiter?" the waiter paused and answered quickly- afraid to fall out of formation- "It is a mushroom cream tea, it's more like a broth than anything else and is like a mid-course appetizer, we have one in-between each course." With that he disappeared and Frank shrugged.

"I'll try anything once," Olivia nodded, sipping the liquid cautiously; she raised her eyebrows, nodding, finishing it off and pouring out a second glass. Marina sipped it, recoiled and set it back down, "He vasn't kidding vhen he said there vas cream in it." She paled and for a sickening moment I thought she would throw up, she sat back and waited for the rest of the table to finish, one arm resting around her stomach, eyes glazed.

"Excuse me, Miss Abendroth?" Came a wheedling voice from behind us, the wafts of expensive cologne and mingling scents of foods drifting towards us as we turned, "Marshall Finney, the Restaurant Manager would like a word with you about your query earlier." Marina raised her eyebrows and sighed.

"Couldn't I do this after my meal? I don't vant to miss a course; it looks all wery appetizing,"

"Oh, well, he assures you it won't take a minute," a smile crept across his face as he stepped out of the way of the parade of waiters, Marina waited for the flash of tuxedos to disappear and then stood up to straighten out the creases in her red skirt. "I von't be a moment, my dear," she leant in, surprising me with a peck on the cheek before she followed the concierge out into the hall.

"Oh, I hope she gets back before the next course," Charles folded his arms and winked at the young woman Maximus had brought with him; she blushed shamefully and started to toy with the hem of sequins across her skirt.

"So, Mister Brenner, may I ask if you are interested in shares?" I raised my eyebrows.

"It depends what in," I answered sipping from my wine glass, a solitary waiter hummed around our table, refilling glasses and the jug of water in the centre.

"Pharmaceuticals, of course,"

"I don't quite see how pharmaceuticals and antiques have anything in common," I answered abruptly. Maximus paled for a second, his face stunned with the sharpness of my tone; my eyes darted towards the doorway, my mind following the tell-tale buzz of Molly's mind- it would not do if she was taken out of the picture now. "Well, not much, I'll grant you that, but there is a lot of money in it; Llewynden-Murray labs have recently discovered this...medicine, that could help a lot of rich business people like yourself. You would need to invest first, of course, but...the profits would be double and triple what money you put in- once it is on the market,"

"Llewynden-Murray?" Frank asked, "Wasn't that the company that recently discovered Toxihedrants?" Maximus nodded with a wide grin on his face, the blush on his cheeks professing his pride.

"Yes, we were,"

"Yes, yes, those things are bloody brilliant! I'm sure she doesn't mind anyone knowing but, Olivia here, swears by them, don't you, dear?" Olivia nodded.

"They're brilliant."

I frowned, clearing my throat; Charles gave the same blank look but was the first to ask, "May I ask what these things are...these texiconics?"

"Tox-i-hee-drants," Maximus corrected, "They haven't gone completely public, but are available for the upper classes. Toxihedrants are used to stimulate molecular/cellular regeneration, they were stumbled upon by accident while they were studying stem-cells, certain types of stem-cells mixed with some kind of chemical 

can help take five years off you, help keep your organs healthy, help your endurance...the list is endless,"

"Then why aren't these drugs available to all classes?" I asked, taking on Marina's philanthropic personality while she was gone.

"They're...expensive to manufacture as well as the products used to create them are hard to get your hands on and, finally, they only work on certain blood-types, I'm afraid, the O group being the most successful in using these drugs," Maximus sipped his wine, "I swear by them also."

"I have to say, I'm rather intrigued with these drugs, I don't suppose it would be possible for me to invest in this laboratory's efforts?" Frank asked, taking out a chequebook from his pocket. Maximus waved his hand, the smile on both parties' lips faltering.

"I'm afraid you will have to contact a friend of mine for that, I would gladly give you their contact details. But, back onto this new experiment-"

"Sorry about that everyone, hello, James, I didn't miss anything did I?" Came Marina's raw Germanic cadence, her hand brushing against my shoulder. She sat down, the scent of her floral perfume dizzying for a split moment until she settled herself and winked at me, _**No difficulties, I hope?**_

_Of course not, Red; I ordered a little present for someone, I hope he likes it. _She cleared her throat and apologised again. The parade of waiters reappeared, the silver lids taken off the top of a very well prepared lamb chop and assorted vegetables- caramelised, diced and julienned until their value was the same as a small engagement ring. Maximus started to eat the meal with little enthusiasm, perturbed that Marina had interrupted him during a conversation of his business; after all, we were all very crucial investors with enough money to see that this experiment he spoke of could go ahead without a hitch.

"_Though I did tell the concierge I wanted the wine delivered to our suite- I was rather annoyed that a simple instruction couldn't be followed-"_

_"Who could blame them, half of the staff here are dead on their feet from exhaustion anyway- all the preparations for this ball has obviously taken their toll._" I answered in German, Marina scoffed, as I continued _"Your mood has changed quit e a bit, what's troubling you, dearest?"_

_"Nothing at all, except there is a Spanish ape around here somewhere who doesn't seem to take the hint," __**May I ask why we're talking in German? **_

___Rick speaks fluent German, as does Maximus and most of his comrades- as you probably know- this way it gives the impression we don't want the table to hear what we're saying, so he knows we're being secretive, but his knowledge of the language deciphers exactly what we're saying...it's a decoy for a decoy. That and I really want to say something in German- am I doing well? _

_**Spectacularly, Molly, and quick thinking on that, no doubt the fiend will feel more secure around us. He also seems very keen on explaining a business proposition and I'm hoping that this will shed some light on our recent situation. **_

_"Marina, this is incredibly rude, behave yourself,"_

_"I'm sorry, have I been a naughty girl?" _My mouth twitched into a smirk as Marina giggled to herself, twining a lock of her auburn hair around her finger coyly. Maximus's cheeks blushed red as he cleared his throat and recommenced his proposition after a mouthful of caramelised vegetables.

"But the recent experiment is in genetic modification, the company had the idea that, if they can create a medicine that'll keep your body healthy, your mind keen and your face youthful then surely they could create something that does far more than that," his eyes flashed as he leant in, the stink of lamb rotten on his breath as he continued in a hushed tone, "of course this idea has yet to go through to the Molmally Board of Genetic Moral Code, but...we have stumbled upon a way of creating an organ that could prolong a human's life by decades- without the hassle of diabetes, cancer and all those other ailments you have to fight as you grow older- I'm talking about an organ that can regulate energy usage to such efficiency that you could go weeks without food and not get exhausted or starve to death and so not gain any weight, an organ that can revolutionise the 

way of mankind." He sat back and started on his lamb again, Marina's eyes glazed pensively and she ran her tongue over her teeth thoughtfully.

"Vhat I vant to know is: vhy do so many people obsess ower veight-loss and beauty. The organ you speak of, you say it vill rewolutionise mankind, no-no, you are wrong- this vill not make mankind better, it vill make it lazy, a monstrous race. Humans are not meant to lif that long, a human brain vill vaste avay after eighty-ninety years, does this organ also prowide a new brain?" Maximus' smile faltered.

"Obviously you do not grasp what I'm saying, Marina. You are a pretty woman, you are young- twenty-four?- but in twenty years time you will reminisce this very moment and curse every word you say. Charles, what do you say?" Charles set his knife and fork down together, his plate empty except the morsels of bone and gristle.

"He's right, Marina, you're young and perhaps you do not understand this, but youth is power. With youth comes beauty, power, charisma, eloquence; I may still be able to charm the women to an extent but my..." Charles chortled for a moment, "'target market' is not as varied as it was before, only a few women fall for my charm now." Marina shook her head.

"Vhat about you, Frank, do you agree vith this?"

"One hundred Percent, to be young and powerful and attractive again, I would give anything- my right hand, my eyes, my soul, if there is such a ridiculous thing," Frank laughed heartily, Olivia and Charles joining in, Charles sensing another soul to devour and keep him anchored to reality. Marina sat back, leaving her caramelised vegetables and a small amount of lamb, once again her eyes glazed and her brow set into a furrow of contemplation.

"I suppose...I vould like to stay like this, to stay 'pretty', to still haf an influence ower people around me. But this thing, this organ, how vould you get it into our bodies? An operation vould be needed and such a thing vould be too traumatising for me, I'm afraid I am incredibly...screamish?"

"Squeamish," I corrected as a white gloved hand took away my plate and we were left for a few moments of conversation.

"No, no, that is where you are wrong, you assume that would be necessary but the company are looking for ways to get it into your system without that type of treatment. The idea is that we inject the cells needed into the part of your body where it would have to go and then it would grow. Of course, so far we're looking at the problem of growing the organs and for that we need...volunteers- oh, don't worry, we have them, enough that our research should be completed within the next three years- but, still...when the product is fully developed, those with investments into our research would be the first to have it done, it would be safe and well worth your money and wait."

"_James, what do you think? The more I think about it the more I wonder..._" Marina slipped her hand into mine, her eyes wide with both apprehension and yearning.

"_We could, I suppose, but it would take a while for it to be developed and the donations would be expensive-"_

_"What if I get ill, you know I have the family's health history to worry about! I couldn't bare to put you through what my father went through, and his father and his father.."_

_"Alright," _I answered, smirking inwardly as Maximus' lips twitched in a moment of victorious celebration and, spreading one of my most concerned and loving expressions over my face, brought marina's hand to my lips.

"But, I'm sorry; it seems rude that I would bring up my work now! This is a ball! A party! We should talk about something different!" Maximus smiled benevolently; the Millers (Frank and Olivia) muttered to each other occasionally after the conversation was brought to an end and the topic was turned to other matters like opera and politics, plays and religion and each time they did so the same twitch blighted Maximus' otherwise benevolent and generous soft facial expression.

The evening carried on, the small appetizers between each meal slowly growing tiresome as the snobbish inhabitants of the room groaned at their over-indulgence. Marina turned down desert in the end, and I did also, the hopping between the tables and depositing morsel after morsel of the food in plant pots around the room slowly becoming tiresome. The guests were given half an hour for conversation and talking after the meal and then were invited to re-enter the ballroom and continue as they had before, drinking, dancing, sitting at the tables to converse and just generally mingle.

Maximus saved a table for the six of us, his date growing tired after a long night and we returned to a conversation about the methods used by the late Charles Baudelaire to portray his morbid view of society then. Marina sat back in her seat, her body swaying slightly to the ballad that played, "Would you like to dance?" I asked finally, as Charles, the Millers and Maximus disappeared, most of which to find a partner to dance with. Marina blinked, nodding slowly, "I vould love to, though be gentle with me, I ate too much."

Her small, soft hands felt hot in my cold grasp, the small twitch of a pulse at the centre of her palm signalling complete calm. We swayed on the wooden dance-floor slowly, my hand at her waist again, my hand brushing against the boning of her corset; my eyes scanned the room and I noticed maximus sitting at the bar with a Mediterranean gentleman, the darker haired of the two looking over to us as we continued with the graceful waltz. "Those two, they're staying in the honeymoon suite, they couldn't get any other rooms on such short notice, but the funny thing is...those two don't exactly seem human to me," the Mediterranean commented as I averted my eyes and smiled down at Marina, she frowned bemusedly.

"Rick's talking with a Spaniard about how inhuman we seem...I reckon that Spanish ape I was complaining about earlier is one of his accomplices, what do you propose we do now our cover is blown?" Marina asked, her accent lost now the pretence was unnecessary.

"Nothing, we act like we don't know, supposedly fall into his trap but really be on the alert, sound good enough? It's what I usually do. The more agitated you act the more nervous they'll get and we don't want them to get trigger happy at an acclaimed charity ball, Integra would not be at all impressed." The ballad stopped and a salsa started, "Can you salsa?" I asked, spinning her quickly before she could say 'no'.

"Not well, but I'm sure I'll be fine with you as my lead," I felt Marina's body ripple as she swayed vivaciously, the red skirt fanning out around her knees and falling abruptly as I stopped her and dropped her to my waist, chuckling as Marina's leg wrapped around mine briefly in the signature movement. The blur of her red skirt and my black suit span about the dance floor, the energetic click of her heels snapping in time with the music as a smile lit up her face and her body swayed with the music happily. "I think you salsa well for someone who is supposedly a novice." Marina ignored me, letting me lead her into another spin, arms in an arch above her head, her hands still interlocked with mine.

The music slowed and merged into another ballad as her back pushed up against my chest, my hand at her hip as I took her hand again and swayed with the music, "So, who was the wine for?" I asked, taking in the supposedly repulsive scent of her blood at her throat.

"Walter, of course, I finally got the perfect bottle for him and purchased two; I bought wine while I was in Ipswich but I was intrigued earlier and asked if Mister Finney could show me all his wines and there it was, a 1914 Cabernet Sauvignon. Walter has been very good and I just think he disserves some wine,"

"Getting the butler drunk, a very good idea," I teased as I span her back around and waltzed with her until the end of the song. "I hope you haven't been spending all your savings on everyone,"

"Not everyone, just Walter, Seras and..um...you," I raised my eyebrows, my hand resting at the small of her back again to lead her back to the table where the Spaniard sat with Maximus, their conversation stopping abruptly as we sat back down.

"Me, what did you get me?"

"I vould rather haf it as a surprise, dearest," Marina poured herself a glass of water, sipping it elegantly as I asked her:

"I hope you didn't spend much," Marina shook her head.

"I didn't spend anything on it, I already had it, it just seemed right that I vould give it to you, even if you never use it," her eyes dropped to the lace overlay, her fingers busying themselves with the patterns.

"Good evening, Signorina, I am Paola Bianchi," So, not Spanish after all. Paolo leant in and took marina's hand before she could say anything against it and brushed his lips against the back of her hand.

"I am Marina Abendroth, this is my _fiancé _James Brenner," Marina emphasised her engagement.

"Ahh, how could I have thought that such a dazzling woman like yourself wouldn't be taken, please excuse me?" He inclined his head apologetically and withdrew from the table, "Now, I'm afraid I must leave, but I hope you have enjoyed yourselves, I'll be talking to you, Maximus." Paolo swaggered off quickly; winking at women he passed in such a way would usually made Molly scream "chauvinist" at the very top of her lungs.

The Millers returned to us, shortly followed by Charles and I took this as my chance to invite everyone up to our room for a nightcap. "Well, yes, I think we shall, though not too long mind, we're leaving early tomorrow morning to return home," Frank answered in his gruff matter-of-fact tones. Max led the procession to the lift, Marina and Charles talking loudly about how auspicious a new play by James Hallor had been, while I endeavoured to make polite conversation with the millionaire couple and Max.

The six of us stepped out of the lift and faced the honeymoon suite door, Marina and Charles cackling vociferously as I swiped my card and held the door open for the group and escorted them to the seating area which was probably identical to theirs. "Right, what would you like?" I asked civilly as I loitered around the bar.

They each answered, Marina turning it down as she sat down on the settee; I joined her while placing the glasses down on the table, glancing down to her as she curled up next to me, resting her head against my shoulder and breathing in my scent almost lovingly, like it was the most natural thing in the world to be close to me- or, in this case, James Brenner.

I would have to applaud her upon the decoy's demise, she was one of the most convincing actresses I had come across, how deceitful and cruel she could be so suddenly was like a breath of fresh air. One moment you would be lulled and soothed by her tones, the next: you would be tied down and slowly disembowelled. Such furtiveness could never be accomplished by a mere human; their actions were too...how to put it? Calculated and yet not. Molly could calculate your next move and so seemed completely unpredictable. Nothing escaped her calculations; she was permanently on edge, knowing and observing, watching and waiting, lurking in the shadows for the right moment to strike. Though, this little personality trait of hers could be seen as a bad thing to Integra, but to me it was perfect; though she calculated, her calculations were methodical and were always put into some kind of pattern, once you knew her method, her pattern, you could easily access the outcome of what she was going to do, of what she was thinking. And it just so happened that I was becoming able to decipher her pattern, her method.

"Nor, me, I am afraid I had a couple too many vines at dinner, but if you haf some vater, that vould be great," Marina murmured, nuzzling herself up against me, sighing contentedly and slipping her arm around me. Her head against my shoulder again, she quietly thought to herself, murmuring and humming tunelessly, giving the impression she was half asleep.

Max placed a small glass of water in front of us on the coffee table and, not taking notice of Marina's exhaustion, proceeded to create a topic of conversation that would eventually turn to his own business venture sooner rather than later as he felt that the Millers were not used to staying up so late and would want to leave soon. His lecturing about how the new experiment would revolutionise the human race had Frank reaching for his chequebook and seemingly had Charles captivated, he also reached for his chequebook.

"No, no, I didn't mean give donations now. No-no, my partner, Corrine Reynolds, would prefer to get in contact with you; I'll give you the number though, if you like?" Of course Frank and Charles nodded, taking out pens for Maximus to write down contact details, he frowned briefly when he noticed mine and Marina's lack of interest, but proceeded.

He knew, he sensed that as soon as Charles was gone he wouldn't be safe, so no doubt he would wait until Charles announced his exhaustion and left for his room to make his escape. Little did he know that we 

knew and that Charles wouldn't leave-why would he miss the chance to torture someone at my own command?

Conversation turned again and Marina opened her eyes slowly, "I am sorry, I think I might haf fallen asleep, how rude of me," she sat up, running her fingers through her hair she continued, "I think it best that I go to bed now, I vouldn't vant to give the wrong impression or anything. I'm usually so well mannered," she shook her head standing up while explaining: _Don't worry, I'm going to find myself some practical equipment for the little game we have ahead of us, but, before I leave, could I leave a little gift for the imposter?_

_**Do what you like, Molly; I won't stop you from exercising your sadistic fantasies. **_

___I do not fantasise about this sort of thing, Alucard. _

_**Then what do you fantasise about?**_

___Green grass, pink clouds and edible candy-floss sheep, of course! _I laughed inwardly, Marina stooped down and picked up our guests' glasses, "Before I retire, vould you like a refill?"

"Uh, no thank you, Miss Abendroth," Frank declined, "We have had enough for tonight, thank you."

"Max?"

"Oh, a refill? That would be lovely, another scotch on the rocks, if you may," he answered with a genuine smile on his lips. Marina deposited the dirty glasses in the sink and returned to the mini-bar to pour Max's scotch, I noticed her hand flit towards to the fridge beneath where she took out the newly made ice-cubes she had prepared during the day, a deadly combination of frozen holy water and the water from the Cornish fountai. The ice-cubes would slowly taint the liquor, it wouldn't take immediate effect, which was why it was such a beautiful technique, the effect was delayed so much that the Milers wouldn't suspect a thing and the agony would only settle in as we tortured him- it was perfect.

She sat the glass down on the coffee table and smiled politely, "Vell, haf a_ gut_ evening, my friends, perhaps I shall see you again soon?" she started towards the bedroom.

"Well, that isn't very nice, not even giving your soon-to-be husband a kiss goodnight," Frank scoffed, his voice slightly slurred, his eyes unfocused. Marina paused.

"Anyone would think you aren't real lovers!" Olivia cackled, taking her husband's hand. I raised an eyebrow at Marina as she returned to the settee and leant in, her lips brushing mine as her hand cradled the side of my face. "_Guten Abend mein schöner Liebhaber," _she whispered.

"Not ewerything is about sex, you know," she answered stiffly, promptly disappearing into the bedroom. I noticed the sound of her heart beat speed up and then slow; the slight feel of annoyance radiating off her as she had disappeared.

"Well, us Millers had better be going as well, good evening gentlemen, hope I see you again next year." Frank and his wife stood up and I showed them to the door courteously while Charles and Maximus muttered to each other and Molly rummaged through bags to find her intended equipment.

I regretted sitting back down and making conversation with the desperate businessman, the imposter, Rick; his conversations seemed permanently set on winning me over and taking my money for his experiment, though, simultaneously, I learnt quite a bit about this new program. After a few more minutes I sighed and answered his questions and his arguments as I walked around the settee, supposedly thinking all this over, "Maximus, I can't really say I'm at all interested in funding a freak's ambitions, you are an incompetent, malign shite and I'll be happy to get this over and done with." I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, dragging him over the back of the settee as he kicked at me, thrashing wildly as he screamed.

"Do something, Charles!" Agaliarept stood up and grinned, his fangs lengthening into points as he shook his head with a sick leer.

"I can't in good conscience do that, you see...Alucard and Molly have been looking forward to this for quite some time." As if conjured, Molly appeared from the bedroom with a small bag, grinning from ear to ear. 

"Speak of the Demoness herself!" Agaliarept opened the bag, his leer faltering only to spread wider and wider, "my ,oh, my, Molly you are the devil, aren't you?" he chuckled darkly, removing priers, rusty nails, a hammer, barbed wire, razor blades, boxes- which I knew were filled with crucifixes- a jar of her special bolts, more ice cubes, silver-bladed daggers and a hacksaw from the bag. _**You can't be serious? You're actually going to use these implements of torture? **_I asked, picking up the barbed wire with one hand as the other pressed Rick against the dining table.

_No..._most _of them are just there to scare him a bit. _Rick squealed into the wood as Molly held a rusty nail over his shoulder blade and brought the hammer down onto the head hard, the bone splintering beneath it. _**Well, it's certainly working, though it is quite unsightly. **_

___When is torture pretty, my friend? _Molly sighed, hopping up onto the bar and crossing her legs, smiling angelically as Rick looked up and shouted at her, "I knew it was you! You filthy bitch! I knew it-" Molly tutted under her breath and pushed her finger against his lips, lowering her voice with wide eyes that threatened agony and torture and a slow, painful demise: "Obviously you did not know it too well, my friend, otherwise you wouldn't have fallen right into our trap. I have to say, I'm going to enjoy picking you apart, especially to get you and your brother back for this beauty." She removed the choker, flashing the silver scar running along her whole throat, from jaw line onwards. Rick cackled insanely.

"We could've done _so _much worse, baby; while you lying unconscious who's to say we didn't think about screwing your ti-" Molly's fist collided with the side of his face.

"How vulgar, I despise vulgarity. Alucard, may we begin?" I grinned, turning the shivering lump around, turning off the lights in a flash and locking all the windows and doors.

"Oh, let's," I growled. "So, _Rick _are you going to tell us where Maximus is?"

"NO!"

Agaliarept licked his lips, Molly lengthened her fangs and all of us set upon the body. I snapped his wrists, his arms, his legs in almost one movement while Molly puncture his hands, the slightly curved fangs puncturing flesh, bone, vessel and coming out the other side. Agaliarept pulled out one of Molly's silver daggers and slashed across his scalp as the victim snarled and whimpered.

"How about now?" Agaliarept asked his voice edged with ice and rotten malevolence. Molly moved down to his legs, he kicked at her in vain, the movement complete torment, as she grinned her eyes darkened as she opened her mouth, fangs bared, to let out a snarl, a trail of venomous saliva running from her top fangs to her lower set. "What are you doing?!" He shrieked as her hands pinned down his legs and she ripped into his ankles, he screamed, his head thrown back with eyes wide. The air was thick and heavy with the scent of fear, torment and evil and I breathed in the thick black smog, feeling my body swell with it as the toxins ran through my veins, fuelling my own cruelty as the screams echoed around the room.

Rick's hands were set in a kind of rigor mortis, the fingers curling into painful hooks, the ruined tendons and muscles coiling in on themselves in a painful limbo-dance. The tips of his fingers turned blue and then black, the agony swelled from this point onwards, the veins spidering out over his flesh slowly becoming a sickly black until the whole hand was blue, green and black. I caught his fingers in my hands, and even the smallest pressure caused him complete agony, I grinned, snapping the bones at the joints with a pinch of my forefinger and thumb.

"Tell us where Maximus is!" Molly ordered, slapping him, his lip splitting with the force, he shook his head in answer with a dull moan, Molly threw her fist into his face, blood smearing his cheeks and blinding him as his nose snapped. "Come on, you tempestuous brute, you harlequin of chaos! Stop this irksome secrecy and spill!" She bared her fangs again, running them along his chest; small lines of blistered, torn flesh appeared, the blood turning a gangrenous green. "Red, what do you suggest?" She asked, toying with a knife playfully, spinning it in her hand dexterously, running the silver along his flesh, writing her name in cursive writing.

_**I could get the information we need quite easily; I just thought you wanted to play with him for a bit. **_

_Oh, I do...I surely do! But I wouldn't want to ruin your fun; a meal is no fun when it is slack in your _

_jaws._

_What? So we're allowed to just toy with him? Oh, this _is _lovely! Where would you like to start, Molly, Alucard? Perhaps a psychological torment would be necessary? _

Molly and I looked at the General in surprise, he raised an eyebrow, "What? You don't think I can hear you? It's practically an open network! But, where were we?" Rick gurgled blood, shoulders twitching and face contorted into agony and rage, his eyes glazing as he slipped in and out of consciousness. His eyes flew open and his whole body shook as he gurgled desperately, Agaliarept's eyes had turned a glowing yellow, the sparks of red spinning like molten lava as he snuck into the decoy's head. Molly flinched away, "I heard that, you know,"

"You're supposed to, I want you to join in as well," Agaliarept spat in his concentration, his eyes lighting up with a sadistic glee, a maniacal grin spreading across his lips, his fangs receding.

"I don't know how, I hear minds, I don't tamper with them unless they are in mine,"

"That is where you are wrong, you are a hybrid, most hybrids can use psychological torment, and seeing as you can already hear people's minds I would say you're close enough to it. Do as I say, Demoness." Molly shook her head.

"I wouldn't know where to begin,"

"Close your eyes if you must, listen to his thoughts, get used to it and just slip in and _infect_ him." Molly leant forwards, her eyes closed and her body bristled, she snarled and opened her eyes pointedly glaring at the General. "Stop it," she hissed as he gave a lopsided grin and let the fragile mind go. Molly resumed her attempt at mental torture, a smile crept at her lips as the power-hungry shit shook like a sick girl, he tried lifting his arms to fend something off but the fractures were too intensive. Molly's smile disappeared, being replaced with a smirk and then a look of fear. The General rested his hand on her shoulder and shook her awake, his eyes met hers, "I would like to know how you got those scenes so realistic, seeing as we can only use memories to make the worst mental attack." His eyes saddened and Molly shrugged.

"I don't like doing that," she croaked, pushing herself away from the freak, "I think we've had our fun for this evening, gentlemen."

"Would you like to do the honours, Alucard?" Agaliarept smirked, standing back to watch the final torment. I gripped onto the freak and pulled him onto his feet, he started to gurgle profusely, his mouth started to crumble, his mind screaming, _I'm burning from the inside! _Apparently the holy water had finally taken its hold.

He reeked of fear and pain, as my mouth came closer to enfold around his throat the smog became corporeal, setting a steel grip around his throat, if he had been human I was sure he would have lost control of his bodily functions by now, his stomach retched and he choked as my teeth punctured his carotid, jugular even piercing his larynx and the blood flowed rapidly, mixing with my own to awake the memories and all the information I needed. It was tainted...such a taste was familiar, so familiar...my eyes turned to Molly, yes that was where I had tasted that, it was Molly's blood! His own vile syrup had a taste of light in it to add to the darkness that had already poisoned him, his body was able to eat, to live through intense pain because her blood sustained him; but, simultaneously, I could taste this fake concoction, this indistinctly medical taste. I could remember the prototypes of the GM blood, how that had tasted and reeked of medicine and chemicals, though still had the same benefits as the blood- it just tasted revolting.

The cocktail of bloods that ran through him threatened to make me ill, it was disgusting! I could taste GM blood, Molly, the freak himself and a true vampire, the latter of which had been strong, his own blood worked magic upon this individuals body. "Come on! You'll never find out anything if you drink me like that!" Cackled the slack form in my jaws, though it was impossible that he could talk at all let alone laugh like a hyena. The voice had haunted us before, the figure in Croydon had had the same silky, cocky voice as this one and I realised it wasn't the victims themselves it was something that was in their heads, someone who could control them when they became weak, someone who wanted to freak us out- it certainly worked on Molly. Her eyes widened in a dim recognition, her lower lip trembled and she stepped back, recoiling in fear- fear of the voice and what she couldn't remember, no doubt.

"Alucard, drink all you want, this mind will not satisfy your hunger for knowledge. I wouldn't allow any of my colleagues the privilege of being able to repeat what they see and hear, I'd be an idiot if I did! I have it all planned out you disgusting, pet vampire! My plan will leave this country and the whole world in ruins! Every noble man wants an army, why not an army of seemingly obedient vampires? The snobs will fight each other for power, killing each other and leaving my creations to take over what's left, I'll make quite a profit and vampires will be worshipped- for those who don't will find themselves in quite a pickle." The voice laughed manically. "Wouldn't you love that, Alucard? You could be a King of Vampires! Finally you will have your own dominion, powers beyond your wildest dreams! Armies! Power! Blood! Women meeting your every desire..." Urgh, the bastard really thought that I could be swayed by sex, power and money? I had power, power enough to destroy and crush whole armies of both humans and vampires; money was pointless, it bought you material objects and I didn't that, I was quite content the way I was and sex? Honestly? I wasn't some horny freak on a power-trip!

But, the strange voice did have one thing right: there certainly weren't many memories left. Shards of memories were all that remained. Rick stepping through a lobby and into a laboratory, flashes of women hooked up to what could have been dialysis machines, women begging for freedom, deformed babies, surgical instruments, a brief flash of four dozen identical creatures standing before Rick, all of which reminded me of the Obedient Creature Molly had wanted to save. These unhelpful memories told me nothing of where I could find Maximus and where his harvesting scheme was taking place. "Well, if you're sure you don't want any of it...I'm afraid you are an enemy to us and we are going to have to kill you," the voice sighed and a strange taste entered the blood that remained, my eyes widened at the strange toxin; immediately my body started to feel weaker, and though I knew to let go of the body, my muscles in my jaw had seized up and the potent poison entered my body.

**A/N: I thought this would be a good place to leave it, seeing as too long a chapter would piss everyone off. We all know Alucard won't die, because, well, it's Alucard, but it makes for an interesting ending. (Big smiles all around) As you've probably already noticed, I'm getting into the habit of doing double-whammies, so, you'll have to wait doubly long but for double chapters (This one isn't though, sorry, lol, it's still squiffy around the edges the second part I mean):D how's that? Did everyone enjoy that? Weren't they great at deceiving that bastard? XDXDXD And what the hell does that voice have to do with anything? What the hell is going on!! Tune in next week for...AN UPDATE! (hopefully) **

**Have a good daaaaay!! **


	27. An unbidden Blood Supply

**Chapter 27**

**Alucard**

**A/N: Hey again! Thank you archsagesoren! That's probably one of the best compliments I've everr gotten on fanfiction so, guess what?! You get one of the biggest cybertronic cookies you can eat without feeling sick! Btw it means "when the sun goes down" I thought I should put the chapter in German seeing as Molly is pretending to be German and they talk to each other in german at some point in the last chapter. XD **

**Weirdunusualchick! Hey! Thank you lots for the review and yeah you're right ¬¬ though I love it XD I've planned this all out well enough that someone wants to piece the stuff together :D That's a complement in itself!! So...GIANT COOKIE as well XD **

**And hello fleetingglance! Spain is cool isn't it? I went to barcelona once- it was so amazing! Why can't england be like that! the people are so nice as well! thank you so much for your review. I'm glad you enjoyed it! here have a super cookie on me!**

**Petbunny: I adore your name! ahem! (just thought i'd say that) but would alucard ever have a bunny? Perhaps it is an evil bunny with fangs and littleweird wings and breathes fire? XD I love your reviews! :( I'm sad to hear about your dying computer, my deepest sympathy, I know what it is like to lose aloved technological being my dell is still living but suffers from acute dementia XD lol And lol! You ARE a saucy bunny aren't you! I don't know about that...I'm notorious for my sexual scenes being VERY explicit...though there are few, when they do pop up you en dup going HELLO! at the screen...ahem...so I'd have to raise the rating and um...warn you all i guess, I wouldn't like people to get scared, now, would I? **

**Just found this band which is great for this chapter, they're German as well, I just love that they incorporate violins as well as guitar, drums and german rocky vocals! The bass bits rock! They're called Lacrimosa and the song is halt mich! (meaning stop me) XD seriously...it is gooood. I always write too much notes, don't I? I'll try and remember not to...**

**This Chapter is in the beloved memory of my dad: one of the coolest, bravest and strongest guys in the world- tell me what it's like up there, yeah? :D **

Molly realised something was wrong, she gripped onto the body and pulled hard, the head rolled away, bouncing across the wooden flooring and resting in the corner as blood spilled from my lips. Molly's heart hammered in concern as I swayed slightly; the blood was rotten, it was worse than drinking from a corpse, the poison worked its way through my body, fuelling every muscle, seizing them up and I was dumbfounded. Poison? Usually poison wouldn't affect me at all; perhaps it would give me a bitter taste and leave me feeling temperamental, but never had I faltered.

My thoughts were broken and my eyesight, usually so acute, was dimmed. She pulled me down into a sofa and looked into my eyes; "Are you alright?" her eyes scanned my face, checking the dilation of my pupils. I nodded stiffly as my muscles carried on seizing up, Molly pushed my hair away from my face. "I deduce that the only way you could rid yourself of this poison is if you died... though this poison may slow your regeneration. What do you want me to do, my friend?"She asked concern still apparent in her pale blue eyes.

Killing me would have been a good way of ridding my body of the toxins, though I didn't like the idea of my regeneration being slowed down, Agaliarept was a demon, he was commanded by the strongest of me and Molly; if I were to die I would be at my weakest and Molly would be left to contend with him and I wasn't entirely sure she could handle that.

Molly bit into her wrist unbidden, blood dripped down over her fingers, creating dark blue patterns like ivy across a wall, a single drop dripping from the tip of her finger, the droplet seemed to slow and it enticed me, the fall so alluring, my vision dimmed somewhat I couldn't see the colours of the fire animated within it, but I knew they were there and that in itself enthralled me. "Drink, it might help." Her voice seemed distant and dream-like, as if we had both been submerged under water and I couldn't hear exactly what she said, but knew by her wrist resting at my mouth that she was offering that tantalizing bouquet to me.

The muscles along my jaw were taut, I couldn't open my mouth to drink even if I tried and it infuriated me that I had been out done by a simple poison! "General, there is an empty phial on the mini-bar, could you acquire a sample of that blood?" The General did as he was told, something I was surprised at, and Molly pushed her wrist against my unyielding lips, droplets of the strange concoction seeping through my lips and painting my gums; the muscles started to unclench, my mouth slowly opening for the demonic blood that pumped through her body. Her heart beat had slowed to keep her from bleeding too fast, but sped up intentionally as my mouth wrapped around the wound and my teeth and tongue teased the vein. Blood gushed into my mouth, the dizzying and sickening feelings in my stomach and head easing with each gulp. I noticed, as the connection between us form the blood grew stronger, this sense of admiration and pleasure, this blanket of content wrapped around me- given to me by Molly's blood.

Molly ran her fingers through my hair, encouraging my drinking with an uncertain smile, her eyes paling to the almost blue and pink. "Do you feel better, my vampiric friend?" She asked as I took hold of her arm, making the most of the blood I would probably never drink again. Oh, I did feel better, my body rippled with a new sense of power, vengeance nagged away at my mind and I wanted to torture the fucker who had tried to get one over on me with a simple poison! I loathed how the egotistic fuckers underestimated me, those 

who did always ended up the same way- their remains coiling in the acids of my stomach. Molly eased her arm away from me, glaring at me as I took a few more gulps and gripped onto her, my teeth lengthening and slipping into the wound.

"I think you've had enough, Red, unless you want me to bite _you_ now." I chuckled and let her arm go; she recoiled quickly, bringing the wound to her mouth as her heartbeat slowed to a single thump. She pulled back, frowning at the wound as a couple strands of skin visibly stitched the wound closed and the vein repaired itself. It didn't heal completely, but just enough not to cause any discomfort or unnecessary bleeding. Her hand still rested at my back, her cheeks blushing as she moved away and stood up, swaying on her feet before righting herself.

"Did you find out anything, my friend?" She asked as the General handed her the small phial of blood, the dark liquid only filling a quarter of the small glass vial.

"Not much," I answered stiffly, rage embittering my words, Molly observed me for a moment.

"Are you sure you are alright?"

"I'm fine," I snarled, "But what will make me all the better will be the day I'll crush that fucker!" Molly raised her eyebrows and sighed exasperatedly and headed towards the dining area. The General sat down in the armchair to my left and took out a cigarette, lighting it absent-mindedly, "Lucky you," he chortled to himself, casually inhaling and exhaling the smoke as Molly busied about the dining table, mopping up the blood and pouring holy water over the body until it was nothing more than a pile of ash on the wooden flooring, where she found a dustpan and brush and deposited the remains in a dustbin. "I don't quite see how I'm lucky, General."

"Demons don't just dish out their blood. Vampire's are the same about blood, just as secretive and find it just as intimate. Only the closest family members drink it. No doubt her mother has, her father- or, in her case, a father figure- And then there is the mate himself (or occasionally herself- though that is a rarity, only certain hybrids are that way inclined) who drinks her blood before anything," he paused, inhaling from the cigarette.

Molly screeched at him, a pillow flew through the air and hit the back of his head. "I thought I bloody told you, you devil! This is a non-smoking suite! And I hate that disgusting smell! Put it the hell out, right this instant!" Molly loomed over the side of his chair, her face pale with anger, the General exhaled smoke into her face and Molly's jaw ticked aggressively. She gagged, turning away from him and slipped into the bedroom as he stubbed the cigarette out in his palm and threw the remains of the stub in the bin behind him.

"-Committed happens," he continued. "Her children- all her children- and then there is one other, a highly esteemed or trusted friend. So, either she sees you as a highly esteemed friend or--" I scoffed as the General left this observation open and chuckled to himself, Molly paced back and forth in the bedroom, her voice snapping down a phone.

"People seem to believe we have some kind of relationship quite a bit." Agaliarept chortled.

"So, there isn't anything happening there, then?" I shook my head.

"She's a friend, a companion on the battlefield. We both have similar interests and I do see that she holds me in high regard, but," I glanced at the door as Molly paced back and forth muttering to herself irately, I paused.

"Perhaps it's her weaknesses you do not like," Agaliarept mused aloud.

"Weaknesses?"

"I see them quite plainly in her. She's a soldier demon, a hybrid of one, yes, but as my own kin I see where she is weak- she is far too compassionate for a demon. She is bloodthirsty, sadistic, sexist, cold, but she does have her moments where she is compassionate, kind and almost loving. I went for a walk with her today, a child, a six-year-old girl, was left alone in the playground and Molly immediately went to her aid. We spent the next two hours walking around the park looking for the child's parents and the way she looked when the child 

was finally found and taken away by her parents- she looked like she had just lost her own child.

"Not only that," he continued, "but also her trust issues, on the whole she is a mistrusting person but there are moments and those moments are all that is needed. She is too human and yet not, none of my demons would go for her, she has been brought up as almost human." I shrugged.

"She's changed quite a lot since joining Hellsing, when she first joined she would hardly trust anyone, but our French Friend, Bernadette, said something to her and she seemed to change over-night. Bursts of elation, friendliness and compassion are what I expect of her so I don't see them as weaknesses," Agaliarept raised his eyebrows.

"Well, I can say that if I had a daughter like that I would be quite ashamed, I would probably take her back to hell and give her a proper education, being brought up like a human does no demon any favours." I laughed shortly.

"I don't think your daughter would be all too happy with that arrangement though." Agaliarept shrugged nonchalantly and Molly returned to the sofas.

"Integra says we can rest here tomorrow and then she'll send someone to pick us up tomorrow evening, she hadn't really expected us to be so quick," Molly sighed and curled up next to me again, "Do you feel better, Alucard?" Agaliarept raised his eyebrow to me and stood up, muttering something about dying for a fag. **(A/N: in English slang that means cigarette, not gay people...and Faggot is a British type of meatball! I never knew that until my dad made them, lol, I burst out laughing and almost choked on my own spit!)** "Yes, I suppose, though I would have thought I'd get a little more fun out of the decoy," I sighed, glancing down at her, her eyes were closed, her head rested against my shoulder, "Surely you're not going to fall asleep on me?" I asked in feigned disbelief and irritation.

"Hmm?" Molly murmured faintly.

"So what did you get me?" I asked, still watching the flames as Molly chuckled quietly, cracking open one eyelid and shaking her head; the flames crackled excitedly in the fireplace, ominous shadows were cast over the walls, the scent of death, pain and fear still clung to the air and the scent of Molly's blood drifted up to me, almost teasing me and I could probably smell it so much clearer now it ran through my veins. My mouth watered for the reeking muck that ran throughout her, the smell no longer appalled me, mainly because I could remember the taste so well.

"You'll probably never use it, so I might just forget about...it," she muttered sleepily.

"I don't know, if it's entirely useless then no, I'll never use it- is it entirely useless?" Molly laughed shortly.

"It shouldn't be, it served me well against Him." She sat bolt upright, her shoulders squared as if to fight. The blood connection we had brought the sudden change in her emotions to my attention, her calm spiking into excitement, confusion and annoyance. "You seem excited, Blue, what's going through your head?" I teased her, nudging her mental barriers easily, dancing in and out effortlessly, the new activity within her head came to my mind and her whole body seemed to buzz.

"I...thought I remembered something," Molly turned around and faced me, her eyes wide, "Could you see it for me?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I missed it, couldn't you go back and find it and then I can see it again?" I observed her for a moment; her eyes were round with entreaty.

"I'd be in your head, Blue, I'd see it as well-"

"So? You can get into my head as it is, I don't mind if you delve into my memories bidden, I just...I want to know what it is I can't remember!" Her eyes widened- if that were possible- and she moved closer. I started to wonder about Agaliarept's words, she was asking me to delve into her mind, asking that I help sort 

through her mind when I could just as easily destroy it, ruin her mentally and then crush her physically. She was such a strange thing, her huge moods changes, her confusion, her excitement, her cruelty, all baffled me, but I enjoyed watching the puzzle-pieces fit, I enjoyed listening to her thoughts, in finding out more about her before she did.

I pushed at her mental barriers, immediately she pulled them down, completely leaving herself at my mercy, my fingers ran over the contours of memories, dreams and desires. Her mind, now open to me in a way it hadn't ever been before, was a mess; her mind screamed for a way out, for her memories to come back, but at the same time it fled from the memories that did appear. Her mind flinched away from me and I tilted her head up, looking through the pale blue orbs and into her mind, mentally reassuring her, her body relaxed and her uncertainty diminished and I crept through her mind, careful not to disrupt her thoughts.

_**You'll have to try and remember, Molly.**_Molly's mind started to buzz, a shout came from somewhere far away, I caught a flash of a memory, of a sword bouncing away from someone as they fought to regain their footing on a flagstone floor, shards of moonlight filtered through a small slot window and I recognised it to be some kind of wine cellar. _Maybe this was a bad idea, _came Molly's mind, my hand sought out hers, dragging her into the memory with me. She crouched behind a coffin as a man's voice laughed cruelly: "You can't hide, little Cherub, my little angel; you are mine, I can hear your thoughts even now as you think desperately how you can escape and how you can kill me, but you never will!" A shadowed figure lunged out from the shadows and knocked Molly out.

Her eyes opened after what felt like a fraction of a second and she sat in a cell, the floor pooled with water, sewage and blood. She was tied, a straight jacket holding her in an uncomfortable grasp, she screamed at the walls but no-one came, figures in the corners loomed out at her, muttering, "Pretty girl, pretty pet, come over here to Margaret!" Molly recoiled as the door opened, light flooded the pitch blackness of the cell and Molly was dragged out by her hair, blinded by the light and incensed at being caught so easily, at being trapped like an animal and tamed just easily. She fought blindly as she was sat down, flashes of objects sliced through her blinded vision, a syringe lay on a table beside her, a man dressed in a white coat sat opposite her and talked to her German. At the time, Molly didn't understand and her incessant shaking of the head and shrugging was taken as defiance. Each shake of the head earned her a beating, soon the Doctor's patience was thinned to an extent that he turned to an orderly and Molly was taken into a yard and given lashings across her bare and sensitive back. Even when she was whipped "lightly" it caused her agony.

A figure stood in the courtyard, an exasperated and impatient look upon his pale face, his emerald green eyes shone with glee as Molly fell to her knees, blood soaking the ground around her. "Please, you cannot allow them to do this, please?" The figure shook his head disinterestedly.

"Little Cherub, why should I?"

"Because it isn't fair! I do not understand this language! And they take my ignorance to be defiance! Please, take me home!" The figure burst into a fit of sadistic laughter.

"Take you home?! Take _you _home? My dear you've tried stabbing me, decapitating me, burning me, drowning me! Why should I take a disobedient brat like you home? When you have learnt your lesson and you call me Master, when you bow to my every whim, then- and only then- will I take you and your mother home with me!"

"Mother?" Molly sobbed, trying to return to her feet, she started to shiver, the orderlies still had her shirt and the cold air froze her skin from the waist upwards, "Why- where is she? Where's my mother?" Her master stepped forwards as the shadow of the building he'd been standing in stretched to touch the small build up of old brick and grass Molly had collapsed on, his hands clasped behind his back and his gait cocky and defiant. He bent forwards, his nose inches from hers, "I have a friend who likes playing with defiant vampires, her and that vampire she turned to are rotting in a cell somewhere and to hell with them! It's only you I want...you have so much potential-" his hand brushed her cheek, his eyes softening with yearning, Molly took this as her chance, her fangs grew in an instant and she held him in her jaws, the sharpened fangs working through flesh, arteries and muscles.

The orderlies jumped forwards and pain shot up her back as one of them slashed the length of her spine, Molly's grip slackened, her eyes widened and she fell to the ground, her master stood up without a sound, his polished boots an inch away from her nose. "Perhaps I won't come back again for quite some time. 

You have never been good with the years, have you, my dear? The year is 1937, remember that so you can count how many years I let you _rot _in here!" His boot kicked down on her head and Molly's body beside me lurched away.

She curled up at the other end of the sofa, burying her face in the cushions around her, "I..." she looked up at me, her eyes saddened and showing exhaustion. "Thank you, Alucard, at least I can remember something."

"You were different then, Blue, weaker; you've grown since then," Molly moved back next to me and rested her head against my arm, her legs curling up next to mine. Hermeaty thighs resting along mine as her eyes closed for sleep.

"Perhaps. Mother once told me how we could never have escaped _Die Schweigsamen Inseln _if it hadn't been for the anger and pain I'd felt."

"_Die Schweigsamen Inseln_?" I asked.

"It was one of the places most feared by the occult at the time, it was used by the Nazis for their experiments on twin children, but it was also secretly used to experiment upon the occult beings they found. Vampires, werewolves, demons even humans born with deformities, they were all experimented upon. It was called the silent Isles because of its eerie somnolence during the day and its haunting screams during the evening, because to be put in one of their cells was to be put to silence forever- no one outside of the Asylum would look upon your twisted face again, no one would utter kind words to you..."

"I saw the war, I never heard of Die Schweigsamen Inseln," Molly smiled sadly, shaking her head slowly, her sadness becoming a thick perfume of sorrow and pain in the air.

"Only those taken to it and the occult creatures inside Germany knew about it; after the war, those who escaped from it were too scared to talk about it, it was only in the sixties that stories spread, only they were seen as just stories to heighten the atrocities of the war. But while we were held captive there my agony spurred my mother to kill and destroy everyone within a one hundred metre radius of her and Barnibus, she told me I had lost myself to the pain and at one point had even tried killing her and Barnibus. She never told me we took some of the children with us, nor did she tell me I was there from 1937,"

"Does that make any difference?" I asked. Molly's lips thinned and she moved closer, inhaling my scent, my mouth threatened to crack into a smile, how could she breathe in my scent as if it comforted her?

"We were trapped there from 37 to 45." Molly's eyes closed, her body went rigid as she fought back an overwhelming sense of sorrow and pain. I could remember my own years kept in captivity, how brutal it had been and I knew how those years could shape you and mould you into what you end up like. Like me, Molly had looked to pain as arbitrary, had enjoyed inflicting it upon others to get back at all the torment she had been through herself. Though my pain had been the route to my vampirism and transformation, Molly's pain had come with her gift, her immortality, and so she had turned away from it, perhaps if she had accepted her demonic heritage she would have been stronger and more beastly than she was now, perhaps she would have been a match for me- now that intrigued me- but instead she was left in complete confusion, not knowing what she was, how to control herself, occasionally losing complete control and terrorizing anyone near her or being so entirely compassionate and trusting she became naive. There was no in-between with her and as her turning came closer she seemed to find these moments of extreme coming more and more frequently.

"Perhaps you should get some rest, Blue," Molly didn't answer, the hum of her mind became less guarded as she slipped further into sleep and the General collapsed into an armchair beside us, the vestige of cigarette smoke still clung to his clothes, his eyes, for once, were soft with calm and he watched Molly for a moment. "She stinks of sorrow," he observed quietly as he sipped from his brandy glass.

"We were just having a little chat," I answered, Molly wriggled up closer still, a soft murmur escaping her lips as flashes of memories flitted past her eyelids and tongues clicked in German, French and English. The General sighed, sloshing the last of the brandy inside the tumbler idly, quite obviously the demon was troubled, his brow knitted tighter than I had ever seen it, his mouth turned in what could have been misconstrued as a sneer and his jaw was set, his eyes bore into the carpet. "Is there something troubling you, Agaliarept?" I asked as I wrapped my arm around Molly's back and gently lay her back onto the cushions, her head falling back to 

reveal her porcelain neck, the scar-tissue running around her throat seemed to glimmer in the fire-light, the amber glow bringing out the pink pigments in the newer skin.

"Yes, something is troubling me, Vampire," he answered after he stood up, shrugged off his jacket and laid it on top of Molly as she sighed in her sleep, the tilt of her lips showing a pleasant dream and memory.

"Anything I can help with?" I offered as he pulled the armchair closer to the coffee table and set the brandy tumbler back on the glass top.

"I'm afraid not, unless you are a father?" I laughed shortly before answering:

"No, I've never had children."

"You see, my friend, my problem is whether or not I should tell my child I am their father- would you be awfully disgusted if you found out you were related to me?" I frowned.

"This is an odd topic of conversation, General, but I suppose I could humour you. It depends on the person, if your child is a vegetarian hippy then quite possibly- is your child a pacifistic, vegetarian hippy?" The General cracked a brief smile before shaking his head.

"Can't say it is- I would be _quite _proud of this child if it could rid itself of some rather silly personality traits." He nodded slowly to himself, running his fingers over his thick dark brown moustache.

"Is this child particularly intelligent?" I asked as the General's eyes returned to the carpet, imaginary holes seemed to dot the carpet as his mind wandered elsewhere.

"Well, I suppose the child in question is intelligent- more so than my other children; the child has more experience, I understand, though she will ask questions about why-" the General paused, hoping inwardly that I hadn't noticed his slip up. My eyes fell to the sleeping form lying across the rest of the sofa, her mind still hummed pleasantly with content dreams, her inner-most desires unfolding behind the black curtain of eyelashes. "'She'?" I asked, "General, do you mean our little Molly?" The General sniffed tersely and nodded stiffly. "I think she would enjoy finally having a father," I answered after a moment's uncertain pause.

"I remember her vowing to cut out her father's heart." Well, she had, but Molly would probably be so overjoyed at having a family that she would forget her vow.

"Blue does say some odd things, General, I wouldn't take any notice. She may be a little...off with you for a week or so, but her grudges don't last long and she'll be too happy with finding out who her father is-she's been alone for quite some time."

"I suppose so. She does look a bit like me, though mostly like her mother," the General smiled, leaning forwards in the armchair to brush his fingers over her cheek, turning her head so he could get a clearer look at her features. "Her mother's stern mouth, same eyes and almost albino skin, she speaks like her too." His pulled his hand away as Molly rolled over, muttering under her breath distantly.

"Well, as comfortable as that sofa looks, I don't think Molly would thank me in the evening when she's got backache," The general stood up and eased his arm at her back, slowly and cautiously knowing full well how sensitive her spine and back was, how many wounds marred her flesh, and slipped his other arm beneath her legs, gently lifting her up into a fatherly embrace, his face stoic. Molly muttered again.

"I don't think I've heard her have such a peaceful night's sleep in weeks." The general nodded to my observation and I stood to follow, the sunrise teasing the night-sky mirthlessly and my coffin beckoned to me, hand in hand with rest.

"Perhaps your chat earlier has set her mind at ease," he answered as he placed her upon the bed, slipping her legs beneath the sheets and pulling the duvet over her torso.

"Perhaps," I responded. The general paused at the window and rested against the ledge, watching as blots of orange tainted the smog-stained sky, the light on the streets dimming as the sun's rising approached. Already my skin recoiled, screaming at me to slip into my coffin and rest after an entertaining, though not 

tiring, evening.

Molly's calm didn't last, her murmurs came frequently as the morning carried on, the rustling of her movements becoming vaguely annoying. I cast out my senses, picturing her hands clawing at the sheets, a cold sweat appearing at her brow as she fought a cruel phantasm desperately. And just as I gave up on resting, grumbling irritably to myself, and moved to slip into her mind and drag her into a deeper state of sleep, where her nightmares wouldn't keep me up as well, she stopped, sat up. The springs of the mattress creaked vaguely as she moved about on the bed, muttering to herself like an antagonised old-woman.

Something hit my coffin, my eyes narrowed and I shot out, immediately welcomed with Molly walking straight into me after stepping down from the end of the bed and padding along my coffin and making her way to the living room. "Blue-" her eyes were open, but completely blank, her mouth moved but with no emotion accompanying the vestiges of phrases.

"I don't think this is a good idea," she whispered to me, "the place stinks of death." My interest was captured immediately and I glanced into the crystal bowl of her mind to see a tall three-storey building complete with white panelling and a porch to the front and back, the expanse of lawns all around it would have been perfect for cattle and vegetable patches, but all that was left was a burned down barn and rotten trenches. A woman walked with her, took her hand to reassure her as they opened the front door and stumbled in. "This will be our new hom-" her mother turned around and the face was twisted into a man's face, the fair hair, emerald green eyes, cruel mouth and high cheekbones familiar from her memories, "So close, Molly, I can almost touch you!"

"Alucard, get me out of here!" her mind screamed as my hands took her shoulders and I shook her roughly. She blinked rapidly, her eyes wide at seeing me standing in front of her, "What the deuc- what did I do?"

"You walked on my coffin," I answered begrudgingly, silently agreeing with myself that I would have to get her back somehow. Molly's cheeks glowed a deep rouge and she took a shuddering breath, "Sorry. I suppose you want to cut off one of my hands, am I right?" At not hearing an immediate response, she added, "But, in all fairness, it wasn't my hand that did the touching- and I'm going to need these at some point- so why don't we settle for a foot?"

"And how would you walk without a foot?"

"Hop?" She offered playfully, "well, if you don't want my foot and we've both come to the conclusion that I'll need both my hands in the future, why don't you settle for a postponed vengeance? You could sneak up on me while I sleep and throw water on me-"

"How petty," I interjected. "How about..." I grinned furtively, my usual sadistic tendencies coming into light. I leant in to her to show off my sharpened teeth, she frowned. "How about when we return I get to have a fight with you? Winner takes all, loser rots in hell?" Molly's face lit up.

"Oh, I like that! The odds aren't great, but that would be fun," my grin widened and Molly flinched, "You're not going to let me have any fun though, are you?" Molly sighed tetchily, folding her arms as her brow knitted and her mouth turned into a childish pout.

"Our fight will be fast, bloody and dirty- if you can keep up I'll be surprised," My grin broadened as Molly's eyes glistened with a moment of worry, before a small nervous smile tilted a corner of her burgundy lips and I noticed small dots of black at the skin where her nibbling in her sleep threatened to open up welts.

"Well, until then." Molly ducked past me hurriedly, bouncing into the living room with a little spring in her step though secretly becoming just a little bit worried. She greeted the General brightly, "Good Morning, Demon, pleasant dreams?" her chirpiness was replied with a huff and a pillow flew from an armchair and hit the back of her head. As always an argument ensued, I rolled my eyes and bent down to my beloved coffin, this thing had served me well for over a century, for it to be treated like a step or footstool was incredibly irksome for me. I glanced at the window, thoroughly regretting it as a shard of sunlight punctured through a gap in the curtains and tormented my eyes. God, I hate daytime!

_**A/N: A fight between Alucard and Molly? WOW! XD I made this update too long, I've cut it up into **_

_**three chunks now XDXD enjooooy! You'll probably get a lot of updates at the same time. Aaaand I can actually say that EXPLOSIONS are only a few updates away and hopefully you will enjoy, savour and review them with a heightened excitement due to incessant imaginary explosions ringing through your third-ears. There will be blood, there will be fury, there will be...dust... **_


	28. Comical Smoke People I think Not!

**Alucard**

**Chapter 28**

Molly and I were called to Integra's office as soon as we had returned to the Manor, to be greeted with exasperated questions and clouds of cigar smoke. I found Integra's greeting incredibly comic, she sat behind her desk an ashtray of dead cigars sat before her with perhaps two dozen husks left over, the newest of which still smoked as she carried on inhaling the cigar smoke desperately; the smoke in her office was tangible and hid most of Integra's face from us as I answered her questions and recited all that we had learnt over night. Molly looked incredibly pale, her hand was clasped over her mouth and her shoulders shook with the effort of suppressing her retches. I smirked, why hadn't I thought of that? Sitting her in a room of cigar smoke was the perfect vengeance- and wouldn't annoy Integra too much. I laughed inwardly, planning on spending the morning sitting in Molly's room smoking cigarettes until she jumped into the bathroom and threw up repeatedly.

"So, Llewenden-Murray pharmaceuticals have been engineering these things called toxihedrants for how long?"

"He never said, but we're guessing it is a recent development."

"I'm guessing that Maximus is their silent partner, and if that is so, he could very well be using some of the Llewenden-Murray funds for his harvesting scheme." Integra stubbed out the last of her cigar, her hand appearing through a curtain of smoke, and lit another cigar, a small spot of amber amongst the folds of cigar-smog glowed brightly and then receded into a small glimmer through the tangible smoke. "I'm sure Walter will be able to get some of the documents to see where all their funds go- oh, for God's sake, Molly!" I glanced to the smaller blue-clad figure bent over a dustbin beside Integra's desk, she retched loudly, and liquid hit the bottom of the dustbin, the septic reek of her blood overpowered the smoke and seemed to cut through it like a knife.

"I apologize for that, Integra-" retched again, her mind hummed with annoyance. _What the deuce? I've never thrown up from cigar or cigarette smoke before, I've gagged, certainly, but...and those ones smell much better than her old ones. _"Could I be excused? I'm sure Alucard could t-" she gagged, quickly disappearing with the bin in her hand, the door clicked closed and the sound of more retching echoed down the hall.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Integra continued in a cold tone, "Walter can get the account details for Llewenden-Murray." Integra leant forwards on her desk and pinched the bridge of her nose, her glasses in her other hand. "Peter told me something rather interesting last night."

"Oh?"

"Mmm, the dart used to poison Molly was more than just a dart." Integra immediately caught my interest, "If the dart would have penetrated hr spine- not only would she have gone in to shock- but the dart would send out a honing signal. The poison was used to slow her down, if it would have gotten into her spine she would've slipped into a coma, which could be lifted with the antidote- which no doubt her captors would have had- there was also a chip-"

"A chip? Are we talking about one of the freak chips?" I asked, Integra exhaled smoke into the room and sat forwards, her face now slightly more visible, the cigar gripped between her teeth as she answered:

"Fortunately for us, the dart was shot wrong, so it did not penetrate her spine- if it had...there is no telling what would have happened. Though the downside is that the poison- which was highly acidic- came in contact with the chip, so peter can't check to see where it was manufactured or what it would have done; though he assures me that what he has seen is quite similar to the freak chips we destroyed."

"The information on how to create chips remained with the Millennium. We destroyed every document, every doctor, every single member of Millennium- I _crushed _the entire Battalion! Not one single soul survived!" I all but roared. Those disgusting, weak, pathetic bastards had survived? If I had felt angry before at knowing Maximus was scheming again, I was practically foaming at the mouth with rage at hearing that one of those scheming bastards had escaped and had no doubt teamed up with the slimy freak, Maximus! Not only that but the tenacious little shit had come after one of our own employees- what did he have planned for her?

Perhaps he knew she was a 519 year-old demon hybrid on the edge of a turning, or perhaps he wanted someone on the inside to tell him all he needed to know about our defences, our security and our employees- most of which were straight out of training since the attack on the Manor over a year ago.

"This is all very annoying," Integra continued, "We don't even know if these products- these toxihedrants- are dangerous; for all we know Llewenden-Murray could be giving these drugs out and really it's turning British subjects into freaks, or something very similar. It seems to just be one war after another, and I'm sick of it!" Integra slammed her fist into her desk and sighed, rubbing her temples furiously as another of her stress-induced migraines surfaced.

My Master excused me after a few more minutes of endless chain-smoking and shouting. Integra had kept calm through most of The Millennium's attacks, had been a good leader and though she still was a fabulous leader, these prolonged silences, these sudden attacks, schemes, attempted abductions, disappearances of women, talk of mass blood-harvesting schemes, the plans of vampire-armies...all of this had grown too much for her. To her, it seemed that with every scheme we thwarted two more popped up; the world was infested with vampires, demons, the occult in general and the Vatican's lack of co-operation and its own designs to crush us did not help. Even I could see that if we were to band together as a group-force these vampire problems would be over with quicker than if we were both fighting each other and the occult. To top it all off, the General had even confessed that the borders of hell were weakening with every passing century, making it easier for demons of all sorts to be summoned and to escape by their own means.

Molly sat at the breakfast bar one hand cradling her chin while the other held an apple to her lips, dozens of apple cores were scattered over the counter top and her eyes were vacant and glazed over. "Feel better?" I asked, taking a seat next to her. She didn't answer but carried on slowly munching the apple, her eyebrows twitched towards each other as she blinked and brought herself out of her stupor. "S-sorry?"She asked vaguely, staring up at me in what appeared to be badly masked shock.

"Do you feel better?" I asked again, "You seem to have eaten enough apples." Molly looked down at her hand to the half-eaten apple in her hand and dropped it onto the counter as if it was poisonous.

"I...can't remember eating these. Urgh, I'm going crazy." She picked the apple back up and quickly finished it off, collecting the apple cores and dropping them in the bin in the cupboard beneath the sink- Seras had insisted, with Molly eating so much fruit, that we should make our own compost heap.

"No, not crazy, just very pre-occupied," I countered as she jumped back up onto one of the stools and cradled her head in her arms. "You don't look well."

"I don't feel well. Since I came within five metres of Integra's office I started feeling sick and now the nausea won't diminish. Pip and Jasper were cooking a fry-up earlier and I couldn't stand the scent of the bacon cooking," Molly moaned into her arms, the auburn hair falling around her arms to hide her whole face from view.

"Well, with your incapacitation \i won't ask for you to fight me." Molly groaned into the counter, sitting up slowly, she certainly did look paler than usual, though her eyes sparkled youthfully, her hair seemed to shine like silk and her incredibly unfeminine, squared jaw seemed softer than usual, not nearly as stern as usual. Her mouth, set in a down-turned expression, was a pleasant shade of pink rather than the sudden burgundy and her skin seemed to have a dewy glow about it. She didn't seem beautiful, but more appealing than usual.

"It is early, but I think I'm going to go to bed, sleep well, Red," Molly slipped off the stool and padded over to the door, pausing for a moment to look back, "Red?"

"Yes?" Molly frowned and shook her head.

"Never mind," she sighed and slipped out into the hall, the almost noiseless sound of her feet on the wood faded out and I was left to my own devices.

Llewenden-Murray was a very profitable company, they made a profit of two million pounds every year and got over fifteen million pounds of investments invested in the development of Toxihedrants, which were expensive enough to buy. Toxihedrants were taken like vitamins, one tablet a day for a month and you would be fitter than a twenty-two year old athlete for up to eight months- this being for those of the O blood type- but you would have to buy four one week supplies which would set you back two-hundred and fifty thousand pounds in total. Altogether Llewenden-Murray was raking in about as much as Molmally- which was the most prestigious medical research laboratory this side of Europe- but, even with this, the numbers didn't add up.

Integra had been correct in thinking they diverted some of the investments and profits into a second account, which was used often and promised a benighted reason. Walter was able to track the account, making a list of the equipment bought in the last year to find out what it was that they were doing. Peter and Izzy had been called in to look at the list and try and figure out what the company were up to.

Molly and I sat in the back, not saying a word to each other after Molly's rather rude wake-up call (I had acted upon my idea of a perfect vengeance and from five in the afternoon to eight in the evening I had sat in a one of Molly's chairs only a meter or so away from her sleeping form, chain smoking. Molly's sleeping had gradually become more restless and finally she had woken up and darted into the bathroom and retched into the toilet for a solid fifteen minutes.) Needless to say, my rude wake-up call had not been met with enthusiasm, Molly had shouted at me until a vein along her temple threatened to rupture and all the while I had been laughing- this only angered her further, of course.

"Izzy, what do you reckon? I mean, these could all be used for therapeutic cloning," Peter muttered, shuffling through papers on the desk, he stopped, tapping a line of writing with a serious glare in his eyes. Faust glanced at the paper and faltered.

"Shit," he muttered, taking the piece of paper off the table and scanning it eagerly, "this is definitely meant for therapeutic cloning, or cloning of some sort." Integra blinked from her desk chair, eyebrows raised with a cigar at the corner of her mouth- a habitual pose for her. Faust cleared his throat and pushed the paper across the desk to her, "They're using toxihedrants in the process."

"And this is worrying, why?" Integra asked as she scanned the paper indifferently. Faust's clean shaven face crumpled into an arrogant frown, _oh dear, does the intelligent doctor have to explain advanced science to someone?_ I thought coldly, glaring at the back of his white lab coat with malice. I was surprised the snivelling doctor could still show his face at Hellsing with my cold glares following his every movement; but he did, his usual skittish, neurotic personality had been discarded somewhat and he remained, testing Molly's blood, inspecting the dart that had shot her, writing up results, typing up fake autopsy reports etc, etc.

"Haven't you seen what's in them?" Peter asked walking to the other end of the room where a spare chair sat next to the door, his briefcase resting on top of it, the black leather dull from years of wear. He returned to the desk and read aloud a list of scientific chemicals and paused before finishing off the list with: "R-omni_38 _and Cell 13." Integra's almost nonchalant pose was immediately replaced with anger. R-omni itself was a rare cell to be able to create; to create it with a strength of 35 out of 40 was incredible and to create it with a clarity of 38...well, that was a feat of decades of perfection, something that even Millennium hs had trouble with. My own R-omni count (last time they had checked) was 39, meaning my regenerations were almost instantaneous, The Paladin matched my R-omni count and the freaks that were made never exceeded 28, Luke Valentine- the freak with the over-inflated ego – had been an exception at 34, but he had been especially created to try and match me. And lastly, there was this Cell 13...though I had never heard of this.

"38?! What the hell do you mean 38?! What the hell will happen when a human gets that kind of strength inside of them?" Faust sniggered slightly at Integra's outburst, though covered it with a fake cough.

"A lot. If they go through the whole course, which, only some have (we have a list of them if that helps?) then their bodies are warped into the equivalent of a young gold medal athlete deciding to take steroids just to see how far he can push himself. Their immune system is strengthened tenfold, senses are made more acute- in one case a completely deaf and partially blind seventy year-old could hear normal speech and his eyesight was all but restored- and cell regeneration is sped up enough that a stab wound would completely heal leaving nothing but a slight scar in about a week." Integra ground down on the cigar, the crunching almost audible, her eyes burning with rage and concern.

"And what is this 'Cell 13'?" She asked cautiously, worried they might answer with something like "Alucard has an abundance of cell 13" in which case she would have to fight against dozens of Alucards- which would not be pretty, especially if they matched my ruthlessness.

"There are types of cells that have been found in plants, animals, humans and other creatures which have never been completely understood- there's a library of unexplored cells, if you will. Up until recently there have only been 12, that is until we acquired a sample of Molly's blood," all eyes turned to Molly, who had quite obviously not been listening, her arms were folded across her stomach and she had been watching her feet as she swung her legs childishly. "Pardon?" she glanced up.

The doctors explained again and Molly nodded slowly and answered, "So, they found another hybrid demon and used the cells to create toxihedrants?" Peter smiled while Faust laughed in disbelief and began to patronise her, this was not welcomed, Molly's eyes narrowed, the pupils turning to serpentine slits as her topmost set of canines lengthened into a vampire's point.

"No-no, Molly, you don't understand! Demonic cells are _never _the same! If you took two demons of exactly the same race their cells would have differences, no matter what, because strength in demons varies, as do their gifts and so...someone would have had to get _your _blood." Molly raised her eyebrows at him.

"Apart from Soldier demons," came another voice from the door, sand spilled through the key-hole and Agaliarept's form was slowly built up from a flurry of sand and dust, "Soldier demons were all created by me, they all have the same occult cells- weaker versions of mine- but you do have a point. Molly's demonic background is too...complicated to rebuild cells exactly like hers- can you even rebuild simple cells?"

"_Um...yes,_ it's called _clonin_g," Faust emphasised the last word as if the General was an idiot, Agaliarept snarled, immediately showing off his long serpentine fangs. "Don't insult my intelligence, Faust!"

"Molly?" Peter asked, regarding her cautiously as Molly looked up, her brow still furrowed at her perplexity. "Is there any chance anyone could have gotten quite a large sample of your blood?" Molly burst into a nervous fit of laughter; Integra frowned, still grinding at her cigar. Agaliarept took Integra's smoking as his own cue, lighting up one of his cigarettes. Molly moved back in her chair, her nose wrinkled and a greenish tinge appeared in her skin.

"There's no chance anyone got my blood without me realising it, only those who are incredibly close to me have drank my blood, and no-one, other than Hellsing, has had any of my blood samples."

The room fell silent, the negativity and anger resonated from Integra until it was almost tangible, her eyes, already bright with fury, seemed to spark and the whole room held its breath ready for her outburst. I had to applaud Integra, her patience had been wearing thin for weeks and yet she was still able to remain almost completely calm. "It seems then, that we have an information leak," she mused aloud, more to herself than anyone else in the room. She exhaled angrily, her jaw ticking continually as she ran through all the possibilities.

Finally she broke the heavy silence, "Right, well we'll have to put an end to Llewenden-Murray, no doubt Maximus will be there as overseer for the secretive experiments. If we destroy these toxihedrants we destroy whatever it is they are creating under a cover and will also stop innocent British subjects from being tainted by these poisons." Molly sniffed beside me, as if she was hurt by Integra's belief that Molly's demonic blood was poisonous- though, it was ironic that it was her blood that was the antidote to her own venom.

Integra sat back in her chair, smoking away pensively, seemingly calm, as she thought how to perform our next little battle. "You can get down there now; you'll only have a few hours as the trip to Morgantown will take at least four hours. General, I think it best you go as well, your expertise may come in useful. I shall be reporting these possibly illegal scientific experiments to Molmally and the Ministry of Defence, so if you could spare as many humans as possible that would preferable- we don't need any unnecessary deaths against us. Take Seras, Molly and the Geese will be going with you--I don't want to hear any complaints from either of you," Molly closed her mouth huffily, her arms folding against her stomach again as she gagged, tendrils of the General's and Integra's smoke seemed to entwine and drift towards her.

"You're excused." The doctors were the first to leave the room, scuttling off with the papers piled in their arms as Molly and the General followed them out, Agaliarept offered her his cigarette teasingly and Molly seemed to disappear, shortly afterwards the sound of someone retching into a bin echoed down the hallway.

Tonight would be interesting to say the very least, any freaks that got in my way would be crushed and crucified, Maximus would die _slowly_ and _painfully_ and the evening's work would make up for a month of boredom. Blood would paint the walls, those freakish little experiments would scream and cry out and Molly would dance at my side as we would mow down freak after freak. Her excitability would be tenfold what it had been in the past and I wanted to make this night special for her- she wanted Maximus just as much as I did, her dreams screamed for his blood. "Alucard?" I paused, my thoughts of sadistic rapture brought to a sudden stop by the terse abrupt tones behind the desk.

"Integra?" I answered, my grin widening as more thoughts of blood and gore slipped into my mind.

"try to be at least a little discreet and I would like a full report on what you find."

"Yes, sir, my master." My grin broadened and I took to the driveway, a spring in my step, the geese that waited around the vans flinched slightly, the veterans amongst them knowing what my smile meant and the rookies just plain scared. There would be blood, agony, vengeance, screams...A dazzling orchestra of torment would swell within the lab's foundations and every godforsaken freak would rot in hell! The chaos and screams would play together, as compatible as violins and pianos, playing a beautiful concerto piece throughout the night, my fingers would bend throats, pluck at bones and saw over mentality.

Seras and the rest of the Geese had collected all their equipment, a gaggle of them loitered around a van's bonnet as the headlights lit up their legs, the yellow gleam greyed slightly by the cigarette smoke exhaled by one of Pip's closer friends. Molly and the General had disappeared, possibly to collect their own weapons, and this gave me more time to reminisce and enter a blood-thirsty state of mind which usually lay somewhat more dormant at the back of my mind when a fight was not imminent.

I would savour every last dying breath, the rasp would echo on their lips, trembling and paling as death swayed over their chests, constricting cruelly and stealing away what they had given their souls for in such an undignified way that their last thoughts were only of how helpless and rotten they were. How pathetic they had been for believing they could go up against a being such as I. I watched the sky; the faces of those I had ruined imprinted on the clouds in their dying moments- those that had been interesting enough, at least- the eyes glazed over with suffering and the similar questions running through their dying minds: _Why? What is in the beyond? Perhaps someone will be waiting for me. Where will I go? What happens next? Why wasn't I good enough? This guy is a monster! _

Clouds in dark grey cotton rolled past a dazzling moon the stars winking and darting from one cloud to the next mischievously as a wind howled suddenly, tugging on my hat's rim, and the movement fell just as suddenly to be replaced with an unreal somnolence. The world seemed to stand still as visions of blood, war, death and carnage darted behind my eyes; the faces, the names, the places all being jumbled into an excitable mess as my mind roared silently to the heavens for Maximus and his companions, my shadows and familiars were baying for his blood, for his orchestral scream and, finally, for his life.

The visions stopped abruptly as the main doors slammed open and Molly stormed down the steps into the courtyard, her face stony, her eyes burning with hostility and the air around her bending as excitement, anger, sadness and bloodlust bombarded the atmosphere. The scent of her blood was stronger when she was this angry and it seemed to just make me want to fight more, but transport was slow and I would have to reign in on my killing instinct for a few hours. Perhaps Molly would take my mind off it-

"Allons-y! I want to torture that snivelling, pathetic bigot until his insides are out and his little blackheart shrivels like a prune! Come on! Hurry or I'll turn on you!" she snarled, roughly wrenching the door to one of the cars open and flinging herself in. The group of Geese around the van bonnet paused, glancing at each other, mentally asking who was going to be brave enough to get in a car with the tetchy Demoness. The General closed the front door and stormed down the steps, following Molly into the car without another word or declaration of anger. And the night seemed to thrum with the promise of something entertaining, like a grand hall as the audience sat in silence ready to receive an orchestration, the whispers of winds in trees were shushed and a painful silence ensued.

The battle-field was silent and our attack was imminent.

**A/N: yeah! Shortest chapter ever? I think it's best I try and shorten chapters :P:P:P anyway, just to let **

**you know, the next chapter will be VERY long, or the next two will be- as these will be battle scenes, probably- I hope you enjoy it. EXPLOSIONS GALORE! MURDER! BLOOD AND GUTS! It will be fabulous in a very Alucardy way! **

**This fanfiction wil be split up into two volumes, as I refuse to write over 40 chapters for one story, the sequel will not be anywhere near as long as this one and will most definitel be file dunder twisted Blood volume two, as Kouta does.And as this is a manga/anime fanficiton it seems only fitting that I do more than one volume XD **

**Right, things for you to think about:**

**What has put Molly and the General in such a bad mood?**

**How the hell did anyone get Molly's blood sample?**

**Why do they need her sample?**

**Why sell the products to the public? **

**How did Millennium survive?**

**Will Molly ever remember everything? **

**What is going on between Molly and Alucard?**

**When will Molly turn?**

**Why aren't there any sex scenes?? ! (this is more me telling myself to add in something, as I do enjoynot in a perverted way writing sex scenes. I'm uite good at them now XD and I miss my usual dodginess)**

**What is Molly's secret? **

**Why did she kill Phil? **

**Where are her old "colleagues"? **

**How screwed is the world? Will they ever survive this carnage and will Hellsing beat it all?**

**Tune in sooooon for an update!! **


	29. A rose could not smell as sweet

**Alucard**

**Chapter 29**

The black van was big enough for the occult employees of Hellsing, the Captain and a couple Geese and so—with the lot of us crammed in the back of this van—it was no surprise that the atmosphere changed somewhat, though not because of anxiety towards this new mission. Molly sat between the General and I, her arms folded over her stomach, as had become habitual for her and her jaw was set hard, her eyes set in an angry glare at Pip's feet. "So, Molly, are you looking forward to this little mission?" The General endeavoured to involve Molly in some kind of conversation as it seemed most of the negative energy in the van was coming from her.

"I cannot wait to rip that scheming warmonger apart." She snarled coldly, her eyes briefly darting to watch him before returning to Pip's shoes. She didn't bother elaborating, her eyes glistened dark blue, the pink around the pupil turned a faint red and lips protruded slightly as her fangs grew for the fight.

The pair of demons and I were the only people not to create conversation; Seras and the Geese teased each other tirelessly, making light of the situation and planning a holiday after it had all "blown over", though Seras knew it wouldn't be over, it never was. Once one fight was over another appeared, perhaps harder and bloodier than the last and up against more people; the fight was never over for the loyal employees of the Hellsing Organization.

"Are you angry with me, Molly?" The General whispered out of the corner of his mouth as the Geese started throwing paper balls at one another, I eyed them exasperatedly—how childish they were—though their charades were taking my mind off of the fight and calming me down enough that I wouldn't go crazy when finally faced with Llewenden-Murray.

"Of course I'm angry with you!" Molly hissed back, finally taking her eyes off Pip's boots to glare at the General briefly. "You have no idea how angry I am!" She turned back to glare at the floor, her angular jaw flinched repeatedly at the effort of not shouting or ripping him to pieces. The blood connection between Molly and me was still strong, though much weaker than it had been the day before and I had to push through the barriers more than usual, though Molly couldn't stop me when she didn't know I was in there.

_The Bastard! He abandoned us! He abandoned mother once he got what he fucking wanted! The disgusting _beast_ doesn't deserve me as his daughter! And he had me believe he could be the soft family man anyone would expect from a father when really he's just a deserter! An adulterer! A _man_! I hate him! _I eased myself back out; so the General had finally told her...and it hadn't gone well at all. I snarled inwardly at the thought of the two of them ruining a mission with their own issues. If Molly thought she could get away with that, she was sorely mistaken; I'd sooner drink holy water than allow someone to let their own issues ruin a perfectly simple and fun evening.

"Molly, you don't understan—" He snarled, his own eyes taking on the burning molten gold that came with his anger, his fang lengthened and curved, his nostrils narrowed and his jaw ticked in agitation.

"Of course I understand! You've deserted _all _you lovers eventually, you are a male and so are fickle and disgusting! How could my mother have ever fooled herself into loving _you_? She told me my father was an honourable man! A powerful man who could have been one of the best fathers, the best role-model for me! I didn't even know you and yet I aspired to be like you, to be as powerful and strong as you!" Molly glared at him as her whispered hisses continued, "You left because you'd had enough, don't lie and tell me your time was up! If you wanted to you could stay on earth for centuries!" She whipped back around and angled her body away from him, folding her arms across her stomach again and now training her eyes on the back of the driver's seat. The General's eyes glowed; his frame shook with the effort at suppressing the instinctual notion to punish Molly for her disobedient scorning.

"Molly, you may not believe me, but it was. I was a General to the king and my power was envied by a lot of men, I was imprisoned and wrongfully accused of heresy and attempts on His Majesty's life, the only thing that kept me alive that long was the friendship I had built up with his majesty at the time. His benevolence led to my freedom but I was exiled, I could not return—even if I had known she was pregnant, even if I had known she was made homeless and helpless, the thought of her wondering the streets in harsh Parisian winters on her own sets my blood alight. You may argue against it, but I was perhaps more fond of her than any of my wives or previous lovers. We had the same interests, both of us had been moulded by tragedies and suffering—just as you have—and we...clicked, a demon may not be able to love but I came close to it," the general whispered almost calmly, Molly scoffed in reply and Agaliarept ignored her and continued, "I was exiled and I travelled over Europe to find a new settlement and a new anchor in a conventional demonic way—Vampires run, Fallen Angels fly, Messengers shift airborne and stronger soldier demons shift dust-bound. Unfortunately, in my haste and my weakened state I shifted in front of a human and I had to execute him, but this was also witnessed unbeknownst to me. I liked the area and bought a house and a week later after only two other meals I was found and burnt at the stake and with only one anchor I was too weak and human to fight back and regenerate. And you know enough about summoning to know that that is my only way of returning to Earth. Molly, even if I had tried as hard as I could I wouldn't have been able to find you and raise you as my own." Molly rested her head against the van's metal side, finding sleep uneasily as she ignored her father and let her anger simmer at the further recesses of her mind.

I tried to keep my own excitement at a simmer also, joining the Geese in a game of cards and finally grew so bored and blood-thirsty that I escaped through the van's side panels and raced across the tarmac beside the cars, the colours of red, green, silver and black flitted past in a shadowed blur, the stars blinked above and the clear night air was tainted with the taste of petrol fumes. My feet barely touched the ground and my excitement built, the night was perfect as if it had predicted our fight and the stars awaited the bloodbath eagerly, the dazzling moon beside the crushed crystals loomed above the world with a sinister leer, its arms of blackened cloud open to embrace screams of agony.

I noticed that even though there was hardly any wind, a cloud of dust trailed me and I soon realised this was what the Demon General had meant by 'shifting dust-bound'. I slowed down, my own impeccable sense of direction telling me I had only two minutes of hard sprinting to go, and the dust sped up to my side and I could actually see the outline of Agaliarept in a haze of dust, his legs moving in a sprint at a normal pace though he ran as fast as me. We stopped outside of the Llewenden-Murray Research Labs in the large square car park, several vans and cars were parked up but a deep sense of somnolence echoed a lonely tone of quiet footfalls at the main doors.

A small, brunette woman darted through the main doors without a backwards glance and I watched her shadowed figure walk past an empty reception desk and down a hall through the tinted glass windows. "So you told Molly, then?" I asked as we took in the Laboratory with soldier's eyes, doing the usual perimeter.

The two-story building sat in the middle of a thin woodland, a main road perhaps two or so miles away, with intense security and tall fences running through the woodland to create a supposedly impenetrable fortress. "I did and she didn't take it well...she certainly inherited my short-temper." The General answered in quiet anger. I slipped through a wall into a corridor as the General's sands whipped about at a high speed, the glass pane completely disintegrated without a sound and his form rebuilt before my eyes in a flurry of sands.

"I'm sure she will quiet down, General." I whispered as we crept amongst the shadows and found a lab assistant leaving a security room: "No, Henry, she's completely wrang, we aren't abou' t'get foond oot, you have nothin' t'worry about! You'll get paid plen_ty_!" He called in a strangely high pitched voice, as if he had constricted lies out of himself.

"Well, I 'ope so, me missus 'as a baby on t'e way." Replied a gruff voice in the security booth and the door slid closed, the lab assistant quickly scuttling off to continue his work.

_I've got to check on the infants—damn, do I have enough time to do that and check on the subjects? Jesus ,I need to be paid more! "Promise of Confidentiality" agreements galore, half of this shit I don't even agree with! What the fuck do these psychos want to do? I've seen what happens to some of those girls, and they carry on telling me they're trying to help the human race progress...whatever! Well, either way, I'm being paid a _bomb_! _Agaliarept and I followed silently, through corridors and down hallways until the lab assistant paused at an exit, quickly swiping his card and exiting. We carried on following, darting into the shadows if the lab assistant paused or another doctor or a freak walked past.

The perimeter of trees approached and the tall figures loomed over us and I realised, as we traipsed through thorns and brambles silently, that there was another building amongst this small woodland, relatively small in size compared to the large research building behind us, it stood with ivy growing over its concrete walls, the windows partially hidden by the curtains of foliage, but, to us two silent stalkers, it was anything but silent. Minds screamed for freedom, sobbed in agony, the air reeked of suffering, of pain and fear; the trees and plants around the building seemed to have darkened with the constant poisoning of the air, the branches of the trees twisting into mean hooks.

I noticed that holes had been dug around the building, and the badly covered stench of rotting corpses drifted up through the soil and plants of the newly dug graves. Agaliarept grinned, "Seems the bastards have had some trouble keeping their subjects alive." He sniggered.

"I wonder how many people have died?"

"I wonder whether they are actually harvesting blood or if they're simply experimenting." The General added. I paused; we hadn't thought about that, the Harvesting idea had seemed so normal for freaks to think of, to ignore that possibility had never came to mind and to cast it aside for another was exactly the same.

The technician swiped his card at an almost completely concealed doorway and we followed silently to find ourselves in a small foyer, the Lab technician had gone but we didn't need him anymore. We followed the fear...

Such a spectacular scent, fear. Humans would never know the reeking of it; its putrid, frigid breath went unnoticed to you all, and there isn't really any way for me to explain it, only that the scent is strong and can linger for hours and hours. But the building held dozens upon dozens of easily scared women and the building itself would reek for years after its destruction, the smell would cling to foliage and trees and would thrum through the earth in a black, poisonous wine for the trees.

We found a room at the end of a hall to be used as a ward, the stench of two dozen scared virgins lingered in the air as they lay unconscious on twisted hospital beds and the lab technician from before walked the aisles, administering more sedatives as a few girls stirred out of their stupor. We took to the shadows and waited for the greedy leach to leave and take us to wherever these "infants" were.

The halls echoed children's screams of agony as we followed him down stairs and into a basement, solitary luminescent lights flickered occasionally along the long black halls, his footfalls echoed in an ethereal whimper as he wrung his wrists and pulled out a key ring and jangled through the keys, finally finding a brass coloured, jagged thing, he slipped it into the lock and opened the door.

The infants' squawks hit us hard as he turned on the lights and a nursery was lit up, the white surfaces illuminating and reflecting the luminescence in a white hell. Silver medical instruments glimmered along surfaces around the perimeter of the room and I noticed that each incubator administered a hearty supply of virginal blood—the smell was distinctive against the agony.

A smell of death clung to the incubators and I understood immediately that they were on the brink of death though, from where I stood in the shadows of the hall, I could not see why. The lab technician finished swapping the bags for newer and fresher blood transfusions and exited, walking past us with a shiver of disgust, the click of his expensive Jimmy Choos echoing down the hall with relief, slowly the pace quickening to be out of there sooner.

I stepped through the door into the almost-darkness, the incubators and a solitary cot at the end of the room cast in greys and blacks of shadow, the nursery was eerily silent, leaking somnolence in tar shapes along the floor as two lights at the end of the room picked up our movement and turned on. The sound of Agaliarept's sands spilled onto the floor and the small flurries curled up to develop legs, torso, arms and head; we turned our attention to the dozen or so casket-like incubators, the reeking of imminent death shifting through the air.

"These abominations shouldn't exist." The general snarled as he peered into one of the incubators, the smell of death vaguely stronger than anywhere else, his mouth, usually down-turned, was pulled back in an animalistic snarl.

I glanced into the incubator to see the still and dead form of one of these "children," if they could be called that. The abomination was a twisted husk of sweet infancy, it was without an arm and a leg—stumps were all that remained and the hand on the other arm was twisted into deformity—and a look at the chart hanging at the end of the glass casket told me it was without its lower intestines, a kidney, its liver and the stomach was deformed with two egg-shaped cists sitting to either side of it. Its face was perhaps the more disturbing of it all, it being a mask of stiff animalistic details, a crooked amalgamation of human, serpent, skull and dog. Its mouth protruded in a malformed dog-snout, the mouth a crude, warped thing; the lips had healed closed to the left and ran in a white line to the further corner of its eye, the other side was a gash that showed off its empty gums and bones and muscles of its jaw, save three needle-like fangs, and black, lolling tongue. Its nose had not formed at all, leaving a triangular gaping hole and a long snake-like slit and, finally, the eyes glared on emptily. The left eye was simply a circular socket, the skin peeled away to show off greyed bone and was deprived of the necessary eyeball and the other eye was an almond-shape angelic thing with a glazed, azure blue iris looking out with a slit pupil.

"This thing was lucky to have died." I murmured, looking at the date on the chart to see that it was, in fact, a year old and was marked as one of the longest survivor of all the infants.

We moved amongst the glass boxes, noting that all the other infants were not dissimilar, all were deformed—some more than others- and finally stopped at the cradle at the end of the room, lit up in a weak, beige light to show a practically healthy looking thing. It had all its limbs, and looked up at us almost happily, opening its mouth to show a forked, black tongue and a single fang; its skin was incredibly pale and it obviously had difficulty moving and seeing as its eyes were only just able to follow us as we moved around it. I looked at its chart, the month-old baby had been one of batches; the other had been "lost" and was deaf, dumb and blind but had been the most successful of all the infants in appearance.

"Let's kill them now, Alucard, these things are disgusting." The general snarled resting his hand on the baby's head.

"We shouldn't kill them yet, Agaliarept, we'll come to that in a few minutes once the cavalry have arrived—I don't want attention being drawn to our attack before we have the "necessary" backup, this could get messy _very _easily and Integra doesn't want any unnecessary human casualties."

"What do you propose we do, then, Vampire?" The General snarled, obviously not used to taking orders from someone he would regard as an underling.

"Count how many humans there are and find where the security is...the usual. Our thirst for knowledge has been quenched—though I shan't be eating anything for quite a while."

We jumped from one corridor to the next, permanently dancing in the shadows and mentally noting how many humans and freaks we could see. Already the General and I had constructed a plan as we jumped back over to the main building and finished our counting (56 humans, 47 freaks and we could smell the rotting ghouls beneath our feet, the general had laughed shortly, glared at the floor for a moment and then added, "There's a lot, enough for a small army—over one hundred."). We would set off the fire alarms, creating a diversion to call all the humans out—we guessed that most of the freaks would exit as well but there would be a few left, along with any virgins and other captives they had. The Geese would come through, accost the crowd that grew in the car park and only those that remained inside would face us, the Occult Elite, as the General had dubbed us.

My phone buzzed silently inside my duster and I answered. Integra and the rest of the men were hidden in a small woodland a few moments away.

Molly didn't look impressed as she swung her sword into a tree trunk, snarling as she ripped out chunks of wood and relaxed, turning her cold eyes to us as we finished explaining out manoeuvre to Integra, the pleasure of the imminent fight swelling in my chest in an ephemeral heartbeat. Molly stabbed her sword into the ground and leant on the hilt, sneering pointedly at the General, "Did you have fun?" She asked scornfully, her voice tipped with jagged ice.

"Blue, I'll have none of that," I sighed, "I was just starting to feel...content." Molly raised an eyebrow and sheathed her sword.

"So? Shall we do this?"

"Actually, the first part would only be possibly for me or the General to complete." Molly sniffed and shrugged, the blood connection between us notified me of her jealousy and this only entertained me—she was jealous? How could she be jealous? _Fine, if he wants a new battle-field companion, that's fine by me! _I chortled under my breath.

"Right, one word of advice, Alucard," Integra took in one large breath of polluted cigar air and dropped it, rubbing it out under her boot as her usual attire billowed about her in a Welsh breeze, "don't fuck this up." She finished.

* * *

The General and I grinned in the shadows as the alarm rang out in sheer horror and the few humans and a few freaks ran past us to escape the flames- the selfish bastards not even looking back to help the captives in the wards down the hall.

I stepped over to the window, pushing the blinds open with my fingers to see the doctors and freaks all congregated in the car park and the Geese circling them with guns as Integra called out the usual garb: "The Hellsing organisation apprehends you for the illegal manufacture of possibly occult beings and body-altering pills..." And, of course, the doctors and freaks put up a fight, some withdrawing their weapons and others just swarming, shots echoed and the crowd withdrew. A blue-clad figure peeled away from the crowds with a petit blond shortly in tow and the pair dashed through the front doors and I wondered how Molly would find us, I waited for my phone to buzz, but it never came.

"So, we are going back downstairs to meet up with group B to liberate the captives, we can cover them from any attacks from those animated corpses and disgusting abominations." Molly jerked her thumb over her shoulder, "Seras is with them at the moment—playing bodyguard."

The three of us made our way down the stairs silently, Molly's heart-rate increased and her cheeks flushed with euphoria at wielding a sword and crossbow again; the air was stale compared to how it would change within a few hours and my smile spread wider. The Geese waited with baited breath, Seras' eyes darted around occasionally, a relieved smile tilting her lips as we broke through the doorway and joined them.

We made our way down the hall knocking down the doors, taking the remaining lab technicians and freaks by surprise, the alarm still blaring as a few of the labs slowly became soaked in water from sprinklers. The Doctors' faces were comic; Molly chortled to herself as we shared the same thought: we could liken their facial expressions to that of a naughty boy being caught while aiming catapults at a neighbour's behind. Molly sprinted around the room with the Geese, slowly removing IVs and checking heartbeats- though she didn't really know what she was doing she seemed to prefer doing something than stand around as a bodyguard.

We came to what felt like the hundredth room, destroying every freak standing without a second thought, "Isn't this wonderful? Finally, we can spread our wings a little!" Molly sniggered, as she beheaded a freak where he stood and destroyed his remains with her silver dagger.

"I'm only guessing, but," the general chortled, "I think you enjoy this." His eyes flashed and Molly sneered, flipping him the Vs before turning her back on him and slipping back into the corridor. Shouts echoed into the room and my teeth ached as shots ricocheted; bullets buried into doors and a few cries cut through the carnage.

The few people who had endeavoured the next room spilled back in, refilling magazines and readying themselves for another fight. Molly stood in the doorway, her mind buzzing in concentration as she counted shots to estimate when the majority of them were out. The General pushed her out of the way and I followed, stepping through the wall and immediately setting my teeth into some freak-flesh. They screamed, turning their guns to me as bullets peeled through my body harmlessly, their eyes round with surprise and fear. How I adored the smell of fear!

Molly took this diversion of sorts to her advantage, shooting quickly with her crossbow, fingers dancing over the string and trigger expertly. Dust clouds pooled around our feet as Seras returned with a pistol, fangs bared in the excitement, as bullets pierced the hearts of the freaks that had been stupid enough to try and kill us. Molly knelt down beside a severely injured freak, one of my unfortunates, and asked quietly, "I don't suppose you know where Maximus is, it does not seem proper that the host does not introduce himself or, indeed, join us. Wouldn't you agree?"

The lump of flesh gibbered pathetically before growing some balls and answering, "I'm not tellin' y' nuffink!"

"Wrong answer, my pitiable antagonist," She sighed before running her hand along her thigh to remove the 1911. She took quiet pleasure in her victim's reactions, and her slow, fluid movements at reloading the magazine were purposeful so she could enjoy his suffering all the more—but she hid this so well. The shot echoed in a solitary roar through the building and the body slumped against the wall, blood smearing with its fall, and turned to grey dust.

The familiar chorus of snarls and roars reached our ears as Blue straightened up and the miniature army of ghouls appeared. "Oh, fuck," Molly sighed, slipping her crossbow over her body and removed the bow from over her other shoulder, plucking arrows from the quiver and quickly shooting at the unprotected skeletal figures. The arrows buried into their chests, but they carried on walking forwards.

"You need something with a bit more of a kick!" I laughed, walking forwards confidently as each bullet hit the target and the ghouls crumpled to the ground in a mass of flesh and bone. The General bounced forwards, whistling happily as he ripped out hearts and plucked out brains like it was the easiest and most entertaining thing in the world. Molly followed, with Seras behind us, loading the cannon and destroying three or two in a row with the explosive shells and the four of us swathed through the crowd easily, Molly's sword cutting bodies into pieces.

It was beautiful and magnificent, like the very personification of poetry, every swing of Molly's sword was a clever pun, every ripping motion from Agaliarept was assonance, the blood painting the walls and spattering Molly's clothes and face was the very theme of it all, the whole point to the beginning, the middle and then end- and I wanted it to never end. God forbid this sadist should go without a few weeks of action again- he might turn to his colleagues for some sort of amusement.

The corridor fell gravely silent, the only noise being the fevered heartbeats of the Geese behind us and in the other room and Molly's only short gulps of laughter as she licked her fingers clean and skipped over the bodies. "Not bad, Molly," the General rested his hand on her shoulder, she rolled it away quickly but he continued, "your sword work is good, there are flaws but no-one, except me, is perfect with their weapons—but your archery is beautiful."

"Glad you think so, General, now shut up, we have work to do; let us adjourn and find that rotten scumbag, Maximus." We continued down the hall, the walk quiet, not a heartbeat or movement could be heard which only lead us to believe that the whole building was empty. The General quickly ordered the Geese to search the last of the premises, the half that had stayed outside were busy taking the captives out of the building and checking their vitals and all the other things they could think of, some of the figures awakened with shouts but were silenced by the same phrase over and over "you're safe now".

And with that the four of us turned our attention to the other laboratory, stepping into the shadows of the trees with the unwelcoming scent of corpses lingering about us. Molly flinched and gagged, "Ok, who the _fuck _is smoking?" She whispered at a hiss, though I couldn't smell anything. Molly looked up at the windows of the building as we neared and paused in the shadows. "Someone's sitting in the window, smoking a...Italian Romano Cigar." Molly snarled, her fangs lengthening suddenly, her eyes lighting up as she bayed for the smoker's blood, "Maximus, I didn't know you started smoking again, tsk, tsk." Molly grinned.

"Come on." I led the group across the clearing through the shadows, popping through the door to immediately be confronted by freaks and ghouls. They opened fire, the glass of the windows and doors behind us shattering as Molly ducked for cover behind the lobby desk. The General and I swooped in like Death's cloaked minions, and plucked the life out of their bodies as Molly jumped from the lobby desk and brought the sword down on an unsuspecting freak's head, hacking at bodies and mowing them down easily as the General and I ripped out throats and tore off limbs. Seras seemed to hold back on her gagging to fire shots at the assailants.

Blood blossomed in arcs over our heads, spattering the walls, floors and ceilings. Molly discarded her sword carelessly and jumped in for the kill, joining us in ripping open throats, snapping bones with her bare hands. She was incensed and her mind was screaming one name: _MAXIMUS!_

The lobby was bloodied and, our work only just commencing, we continued through the building to the wards. I stepped through the walls and ripped them apart before they had a chance to scream as Molly and Seras came in to deal with the rest and remove IVs. The General returned, licking his lips, "Sorry, had to dispose of those security guards. Do you want me to fetch some Geese to take these ladies back?"

"It would be best." I answered hurriedly. My undead heart pounding excitedly for more blood and decay. We carried on down the corridor, stopping in a laboratory wherein pregnant women lay unconscious, their bodies varying in the development of the unborn child, but I could smell something on the humans—these weren't human children. Molly gagged again upon entering, doubling over and clutching her stomach, "These women are beyond saving, Alucard, the foetuses have sucked them dry, can't you see – no, you can't." Molly relaxed, taking one of the young mother's hands, her face relaxed and her eyes grew round with a morose smile, "Hello, Anya, I'm just sorry I could not come quicker..." Molly's body suddenly tensed and she brought the blade down over her old colleague's throat and turned to the next woman, I caught her sword.

"Integra wants them alive—" Molly laughed bitterly, jerking the sword from my grip and picking up one of the limp wrists, quickly cutting it with her sword and offered it to me. I paused, the white flesh was brilliantly white compared to the shock of red blood and I wrapped my mouth around the wound, quickly recoiling at the septic, medical and thoroughly rotten taste, spitting it out hurriedly at recognising it as the poison that had wounded me in The Ritz.

Molly didn't need words; she brought her sword down repeatedly, beheading each unconscious woman mercifully, her eyes slowly growing brighter with hatred and anger. We checked the other rooms only to find no-one and nothing else and so turned to the basement, to the twisted infants and no doubt Molly would have to leave—she did have a weakness for children, apparently.

Snarls echoed up from the basement as we stepped down silently, the red eyes gleaming in the glimmering light, the flashes of luminescent light playing a parody of a club lighting, the movements stunted and surreal as they moved forwards with guns and shot hurriedly. The machine guns pumped lead into my body and the pain just seemed to add to the excitement of it all, I didn't care for it, it was but a dull hum compared to the other things you could be put through. Molly stood behind the three of us unwillingly as the shots echoed hard and bullets hit the lights and walls and slowly we were plunged in darkness, the outlines only just visible due to the lighting from a separate corridor up ahead.

Molly drew her gun and shot, I was surprised as the bullets hit their targets and slowly the tsunami of ghouls receded into a wave and we waded through them easily. We rounded a corner into a well-lit corridor to find more reanimated corpses staring us in the face. Molly was taken off guard and a bullet sank into her arm, she didn't flinch but shot more feverishly as anger swelled within her. She bounced back around the corner to reload, Seras accompanied her with her faithful harkonnen and Molly came back out shooting with more accuracy than before, another bullet hit her square in the chest, no doubt cracking the plate over heart and stomachs.

The corpses backed up as shouts echoed down the hall and freaks broke through to the front with heavily loaded machine guns, "Oh, how original, I bet they think they are so hard." Molly sneered, emptying her magazine into half a dozen ghouls as they advanced again. Another bullet hit her as she advanced with us, she slowed, faltering, still shooting as she gritted her teeth and slouched, her hand pushing against the centre of her torso, she wheezed slouching against the wall.

"Molly?" Seras had stepped out behind us with her harkonnen and shot with us, taking out three at a time. Molly rejoined us, swinging the sword above her head and decapitating a pair of Freaks as they advanced on her ignorantly. The General burst into sand particles repeatedly as the ghouls hit him, Seras faltered, as she usually did, as I carried on, my flesh burning as it regenerated and was ripped off and regenerated all over again. Blood was slick on the floor in great puddles as the fight carried on.

Molly groaned slouching forwards and for a moment I thought she'd fall to her knees. Her own clothes were now drenched in her own blood, her braided hair was matted with the sick black mess, it spilled onto the floor like tar, mingling with the scarlet in pools. "Molly, you're hurt, go back!" The General cried as he burst into sand particles again; the flurries of dust disappeared and for once the General didn't return, leaving two vampires and a hybrid to deal with dozens more ghouls and a dozen freaks.

The septic stench filled the whole corridor; Seras covered her nose for a brief second before deciding that it was cruel to draw attention to Molly's own unique smell. My mouth watered for that blood, the black smeared on the walls, pooling on the ground, begged for me to just taste it as Molly carried on firing and hacking.

I paused as a smell hit me. Seras stood stock still, the freaks and ghouls followed suit and our eyes turned to the source of the smell.

Molly was panting in a slouched position against the wall now and she no longer smelt disgusting...in fact she smelt the complete opposite—she smelt as good as she tasted! I grabbed onto Seras as she lunged for her, the freaks and ghouls following suit as Molly looked up with wide eyes, her lips swollen with her biting, blackened veins spreading over her cheeks and blackening her eyes. I dragged Seras away as the ghouls grabbed onto her, pulling her into the crowd and still she carried on fighting, hacking and shooting courageously as they devoured her flesh, drank her blood, raping it of any remnants of beauty it had- which were few and far between.

Seras' eyes were bright red with hunger, her mouth was visibly watering as she snapped her jaws at me and Molly hungrily and still I watched as Molly threw herself out of the crowd and fell to the floor in a twisted pile of tar and flesh. The ghouls started to eat each other; the "smartest" of the group sat down by her remains and ate the slop left as she growled, "Kill you all!"

The air cleared of the smell as the fighting dulled down and a few dozen ghouls and two freaks were left, the smell returning to the pungent septic aroma. Seras' vision cleared and she looked at the lump on the floor, "MOLLY! No, she can't be dead!" she escaped my grip shot the three ghouls kneeling beside the remains and checked it all for any sign of life and as her fingers brushed the slop it shivered and it crumbled into dust.

**A/N: Well, what can I say? Nothing much, that's for sure! Read next weeks, you will enjoy and I'm pleased to report that Marie is back! XD the duo is back to give you some good-arse updates! Well...review...that means EVERYONE, RACHEL!! **

**Thank you, Marie for being a rockin' beta! XD **

**B/N: Glad to be back, mates!**


	30. EXPLOSIONS

**Chapter 30!!**

**Molly**

**A/N: A short intro about Molly's deathly experience, just because I feel like writing something poetic, and we all know Molly loves poetry as well and speaks like a verse of Charles Baudelaire (as her use of narrative language is based on him- my favourite poet of all time- he is also French and morbid XD so you could say about 45-50 of her character is based upon Monsieur Baudelaire.) **

**Thank you everyone for reviewing- there are far more explosions in this chapter XD.**

**(15****th**** October: sorry this took so long to update, essays and what not are really piling up! I'll be finishing off this volume with epilogues part 1 and 2 so...2 more chapters basically and then I'll be seeing you for volume 2 hopefully, which will finish answering questions and show you what all this has been building up to. :P:P Thanklyou for being patient and thank you for pressing the review button which you will do in...forty minutes? Thirty five? :P but you will be reviewing- pleeeease. :P:P:P**

Pain is arbitrary.

Pain is simply a pebble in a river, thrown into the gently running waters, it hits the bottom, it lingers, but after a while the torrent will strengthen and the pebble is moved down and away. The river was my will, but my will was not as certain as it usually was. My own ephemeral rapture for the impending fight had been dashed quickly enough, upon jagged black rocks of deceit and desertion. The General, the _Mighty_ Agaliarept, was my biological father; and, even though I had feigned scepticism, I knew it, my own mannerisms were an echo to his, my temperament just as unpredictable- to those that did not fully understand or know me. But the thought that I was his one and only daughter, that his own twisted blood ran through my veins, was pumped brutally by a warrior's fist; my mentality, occasionally sadistic, was warped by his own hand- that fist within my body thumped hard and with every beating I was left powerless to the return of sadism, of cruelty and mercilessness- left me numb.

Lead was a fascinating element, I took a little interest in it- one has to when one becomes so well acquainted with it in their line of work- unfortunately, my only interest was plucking it out of my body and shooting it right back! But I had only ever become acquainted with it in small doses, the first bullet went unnoticed and I carried on as I was, shooting right back, dancing upon a sodden, red floor- dancing! A wild woman's waltz. A sadistic shrew's salsa. A madwoman's masque, the narrative issued in the dumb commands from my Companion's lips and the roars and snarls from the ghouls as they fell by my hand, the elaborate red sceneries dancing around my head in arcs of blood, the white-wash of the walls like clouds as the sunrise stained them with redden light, it was beautiful, truly beautiful. I would not be so arrogant as to equate myself with the beautiful knight, Britomart, but her own morals and deception, I felt, were woven into my very flesh! Or, perhaps, she stood beside me in some alter-reality and instructed me to fight and fight until I died!

_But why think of death now?_ I thought angrily as I paused to fumble the bullet hole in the centre of my chest, yes, the pain hurt, but...something else, something not quite right lurked around it. The second in which I gave in to the pain and slouched cost me dearly and one of those nasty little shards of lead crept up on me, slipping into the centre of my torso and my eyes widened. No...that didn't feel right at all. The fantasy world of sunrise stained clouds and a world fit for the Faerie Queene herself diminished and was left with what was real, the animated corpses looking upon me complacently as they shot bullet after bullet, my own flying forwards as I carried on and could not stop my mind from registering the pain, the fact that my clothes were now black, that my eyesight was dimming, my head spinning, my breathing coming in a rasp synonymous to Barnibus'.

If it hadn't been for the MRI scan I would not have known what the bullet had managed to accomplish.

I was guessing that the first bullet to my torso weakened the plate and the next one had slipped right through the bone and into the formation of strange little organs. I had a feeling those alien things were important, for, now as I stood without them, I felt...human, powerless. My mental barriers crumbled as I screamed for them to be rebuilt, I was a slave-driver of my own mind, beating it to do as I wanted, soon I turned to my body as well. The ethereal wraith stood on the periphery of reality, betwixt Gloriana's world and this one, this hell, sniggering as it held in its skeletal hand my own breath, my own...was that a soul? One can never be sure.

I felt myself slouch against the wall, heard the faint sound of my Father scorning me, no doubt, berating me even as I stood powerless. But I watched his face and I was shocked to see actual concern, that hit my chest harder than the next bullet. My Father, the heartless fiend, now felt concern- if he was concerned what did that mean for me? Oh, Lord have mercy, I was at His door now; the ivy crawled across the door, there was no handle and my hand rested upon the wood...dare I knock. To knock would be to enter the next part, this next adventure- was I at all ready to let go of this one?

Father turned to dust and he did not return, anger blossomed in a blackened rose bud at the centre of my torso to take over those alien things, I felt that the seed had been buried in there for some time and, like a sapling oak beneath its parent, it struggled to fully bloom. There was eerie silence and I feared I was already dead, a useless body which Red would scorn for being weak- and I dared not be weak- with this consciousness looming over the world with nowhere to go.

If you had a front door with no handle and someone knocked on the door, professing: "My name is Molly, I have sadistic tendencies, I have lost count of the number of murders I have committed, I have killed my own kin and I cannot control myself!" would you let her in? No-one is so naive that they would open that thick oaken door and so I would be left out here, wherever here was.

Snarls broke through and my vision cleared somewhat, the corpses were upon me and I raised my sword and gun, shooting lethargically as I hacked at the corpses, slowly becoming more aware that there was this fabulous smell in the air and that it was me. My eyes darted towards Seras and Alucard to see the tall red-clad figure watching complacently- as was custom- as he gripped onto Seras who had an amalgamation of horror and yearning on her face and painted in those blood-red eyes. I felt freaks biting my arms and drinking from my veins as ghouls bit out chunks. I would not cry out, why add to their euphoria? I would not scream, why waste energy? I would not regret joining Hellsing when it had been so entertaining, when I had learnt so much. I would only regret that I had not known my father.

I finally hacked my way through and stumbled, the ground quickly meeting me and everything dimmed again as the pain built deeply within my torso. Those organs could not grow back, the flesh the ghouls had devoured was tainted and my body was fighting to cleanse itself at the same time as regenerate, oh, God the agony!

Gabriel did not step forward, he had only ever played his role once, he would not step up again and there was no point when I had already done what was needed of me: fight, give them the people who threatened to ruin England- or die trying. His blood stained robe swirled around his legs as a threatening mist rolled in, his figure slowly becoming a blurred outline as his underling fought to save me and Gabriel did something that surprised me, though not directly. He let go of the underling and she flew to me, her great angel's wings beating in a rapid tempo to kneel beside me before it was too late. I could just hear a mellifluous language, the angel's tongue, but it grew fainter and that diminishing language confessed only one thing to me as fingers ran over my skin.

The sunrise's clouds rolled in, the light gripping on to me desperately as it was dragged back, its fingers still outstretched for my skin as it sobbed, "we're sorry." I smiled to myself.

_But, my dear angel, how can you cry over something that is already done? This demon does not deserve paradise or wings; it does deserve the kiss of the Lord or the embrace of cherubs and seraphim. I have always known the last chapter of this half-discarded novel (now to be fully burnt) have always known that the last words would be: "I will most likely be dead by morning," _and even though the clouds had rolled in to cover the sun, I knew- day had come again and I would not.

**Seras - A/N: serious swearing. **

"We're sorry, Molly," I whispered, the ache of losing another comrade hit me like a bullet to the brain and I asked myself if I could take much more of this. Those thoughts pissed me off! Losing Molly when we hadn't fully made up as friends again pissed me off! You know what? Those fucking _corpses_ that had _eaten_ her _pissed_ me _the fuck_ off! I hated those bastards! I was going to make them _pay_! My hand rested on hers and I felt her fingers twitch around mine.

Molly was nothing but a pile of blackened mess and as I stood up it disintegrated into dust, nothing left but the unrecognisable over-coat and the necklace- that pissed me off, the one thing I had to remember her by I couldn't ever bloody touch! I turned on the freaks as they came back at me after Molly's arm turned to dust in their grip and I discarded the harkonnen as my vision turned red with hatred and anger. I knew what would happen, that I'd probably lose myself completely but I didn't give one flying fuck- those corpses deserved whatever that part of me did to them.

Before I could stop myself I had broken a dozen bones in each ghoul's body, had ripped off heads, moving faster than I had in a long time just to grab them by the scruff of the neck and smash their heads into the wall and smear their brains over the already blood-washed walls.

Molly had died like this!

In a stinking blood-pit with no loved ones, with no affectionate or kind words!

No! It wasn't right!

She had spent years of her life devoted to wiping freaks off the face of the earth and saving humans! And she had been bested by a few ghouls and a couple of freaks! After all she had been through!

Now I was angry at _her_! How the hell could she have just let herself die!

My master had joined me at some point as another wave came down the hall with roars and bellows, a dozen reserve-freaks appeared with the warped corpsey faces, slightly bloodied and mingling with the original attackers easily. "They escaped from the Geese," master snarled, sucking on his finger, his eyes dilating and I noticed the black blood on his gloves and I wondered what she had tasted like...had she been sweet? Bitter? I guess I wouldn't ever know.

The bastards down the hall opened fire on us immediately. I tried dodging the bullets angrily and pulled the harkonnen up into my arms and let loose a few shells of pure hatred. Eat that, arseholes! My vision still blurred with a curtain of rage, I watched as the bodies in front of me turned to mush on the floor beneath my boots and shells and I sniggered to myself, noting contentedly that they reminded me of curdled milk- and they reeked just as bad!

We shot at them, cutting through the ranks only for more to appear. "You didn't say there were this many!" I cried over the screams of automatics and dying ghouls.

"There must have been more outside of the vicinity," Master snarled, the grin on his face had faltered and I noticed it was almost completely gone as he shot and it was just rage that "fuelled his fire", he hated them just as I did. I reckon he had gotten quite fond of her being around. I wondered whether he would be this angry if I was killed, not that I was jealous, just curious.

"_I hate it when people underestimate me_!" Came this ethereal shriek and I thought I had gone mad in anger, Molly was talking to me! But judging by master's face, he had heard it too; I glanced over my shoulder to see the dust spinning about in small flurries, slowly building and moving faster.

Some of the ghouls and freaks doubled over suddenly, only a minority, but enough to make the other freaks pause with the customary "what the frig is going on?" look on their faces.

_Master, what is going on? _I asked, still firing and taking out the half dozen ghouls that had stopped in stupid curiosity at seeing their friends doubling over, Master immediately went for the freaks that had stopped, his long teeth sawing through their necks speedily, decapitating one after the other before returning to slaughtering the ghouls.

The doubled over ghouls and freaks started to retch, the veins on their bodies stuck out like ropes and, with an agonising retch, the veins broke free of their skin and the blood spattered the ground- black ink swerving around my ankles, crawling up the walls, over the ceiling to find the sand flurries behind us. It didn't stop there, though.

I watched in amazement as the sand formed what appeared to be a snake head in the air, the body created from the rapidly moving surges of dust, the air seemed to become gritty in my lungs and all of a sudden the formation broke free and surged towards the crowd with great velocity. Master, who stood in the centre, went unharmed as the sands diverted away from him, just as water swerved around a boulder that stood in the centre of a river; but the remainder of the crowd was not so lucky, the sand washed in through their mouths, nose and eyes and they convulsed, falling to the floor as their veins stood out on their skin again- those were the lucky ones. The other half were subjugated to a slow and painful death where layer after layer of skin was ripped away and I noticed the surges grow with ferocity and suddenly there was only bones left- they hadn't even been able to scream, the sand had ran down their throats and shredded their vocal chords, no doubt.

Master watched curiously, his smile growing with glee as we both realised: Molly was becoming stronger, was alive! My heart soared and I wanted to hug her already, even though I knew she'd squirm and insult me; but, maybe, secretly, she enjoyed it and her insults- half of which were so out of date I had to restrain myself from laughing- were just a way of covering it, of staying known as the cold bitch.

The former half of the crowd exploded into dust one after the other and joined with the column that had formed just ahead of Alucard and I noticed that there were glimpses of legs, hands, arms and feet in the sand before the flurries dispersed again, shifting from almost human form to sand again- waiting for the rest of the sand, maybe?

The sands dispersed once more and flew back into a column and an ethereal scream echoed down the hall, I had to cover my ears from the high-pitched shriek, it reminded me of a banshee or something, it was creepy and painful to listen to and I couldn't believe that this was Molly- what the hell was she?

Master started to skirt the column, a knowing smile growing across his mouth, as the sands settled and the remaining, unneeded dust dispersed to show Molly standing amongst scarlet blood and greyed bone, her newly restored blood-red hair had grown down past her backside and swished about elegantly compared to the rest of her that shivered and seemed to convulse, her skin crawling as the reformation carried on internally.

I felt pressure behind me and glanced over my shoulder to see a second dust cloud reforming sluggishly, a gruff laugh cutting across my skin as hands clapped slowly and eyes formed, the reptilian yellow glowing brightly as a smile appeared and I wondered if the General knew how much he reminded people of the Cheshire cat when he did that.

"That is how to do it, see? It took Eremus weeks of brutal deaths to figure that out!" Molly didn't say anything, she ignored him and walked down the hall and I noticed some strange clicking noise echoing with her. I looked down at her feet and noticed the new shape, the heel had sharpened into a slightly curved claw that stood her up on her toes like a stiletto heel and her feet themselves had lengthened, the tendons and bone across the top stood out slightly and her toes looked like the little claws on a lizard's feet.

"Molly, take on your true form, shake off that disgusting deceptive flesh and revel in the real power," Agaliarept called down the hall to her as she stopped at the corner and turned back around. I swallowed, "Molly, do you want me to get some clothes for you?" I asked sheepishly. Molly looked at me for a moment and I noticed no cognition was in her eyes, they were completely blank, as was her face- now _that _was creepy. She blinked and immediately her arms wrapped around herself and her cheeks blushed a deep scarlet.

"This is...very...embarrassing," she croaked, her voice hoarse from the banshee cries. Boot-clad footfalls echoed from where we had come and I recognised the thoughts of the Geese, they'd heard the commotion, had been able to deal with the freaks and ghouls left as a decoy so the others could get away and were now here to help us- too late, we've already sandpapered them to death.

"Molly, take this," Master stepped in front of her to block her from view as he took off his coat and wrapped it around her, the claw-heel on her feet adding those extra inches so that the coat didn't drag along the ground and stopped half way down her feet. Molly muttered her gratitude as the General seethed in the corner, muttering to himself heatedly, he stopped abruptly, listening intently as the Geese stopped about us, some of their faces paled at the sight of all the carnage, of my blood-soaked clothes, of Molly's nakedness and the plain horror of this whole palaver.

"Well, eet looks like all we 'ave to do now is destroy ze buildin'." Pip called to his followers for any explosives while Alucard and Molly returned to this end of the hall.

The smell of blood encompassed us, the stickiness of the floor was disgustin' and yet, some'ow, it comforted me, it was nice to think that I had just avenged a friend- and I still had to hug Molly, preferably when she wasn't naked, I didn't want to give Pip and the rest of 'em ideas. But through the smell of blood came a distinct smell, a smell of rot, of disinfectant and madness and my stomach flipped over as doors all around us creaked as people or things came forwards. All the power was cut and the bright, white hall turned black, the vivid red gone to make pitch black puddles and smears while the hall itself was grey, my vampire senses kicking in with a vengeance.

The Geese started to panic, the smell mingling with the repulsive disinfectant/rot stench and they all reached for their night-vision goggles. Molly gave a shriek, fell to the ground on her knees, clawing at the floor, she threw herself against the wall, so hard plaster fell out and crumbled about her and her bones snapped. I threw myself down next to her and wrapped my arms around her as she clawed and convulsed, "C'mon, stop that, we need you, ok?" I held her tight.

"You. Do not. Know. What. It is. Like!" She croaked in harsh gasps, forcefully trying to stop her convulsions.

"Give in, rip it off," The general sighed as Molly continued to convulse and threw me off her as the doors burst open and these mutilated things that weren't quite ghouls, lunged out at us. She stood up, visibly shaking and her eyes glowed electric blue and rose pink in the darkness as she roared, her fangs grew suddenly and she jumped for the nearest creature, ripping its head off and moving on to the next and the next before I could blink.

Alucard joined her, laughing under his breath with that characteristic smirk on his face; Molly killed like an animal now because she was in agony and the whole while Agaliarept called for her to "rip it of" and she just ignored him. The Geese shot at these things to no effect, shooting them in the head or chest didn't work, they were resilient bastards and I joined in with my harkonnen. The shells exploded and bits of the bodies flew all over the place but they carried on walking, even with only half a leg and a set of ribs left, they kept walking.

Molly fell down again, blackened talons had grown from her fingers and even in complete agony she still dug them into legs and ripped out tendons. The stench of her blood filled the air, though I knew it was only the vampires and demons that could smell it, it was something to do with this change she was going through.

The lights were suddenly turned on the white mixed with red to make a horrid pop-up book and I cried out as my eyes dilated and contorted, as did Molly's and the night vision was useless, some of the Geese shot before ripping the goggles off and their aim was messed up, bullets hitting me, my Master and Molly. Molly burst into sand and quickly reformed in a standing position, the air had changed around her and she was no longer writhing on the floor.

"Come one, you foul beasts; I want to remember this night!" She jumped into the crowd of monsters as the Geese were picked off and a few were even eaten, I shot angrily at the advancing Things, but they carried on in pieces. "We're going to have to turn these things to dust to get them out of here!" I cried over the roar of Things and guns and Geese.

Alucard's grin broadened.

"Red, it may sound easy, but it really isn't," Molly growled from his elbow as they worked on one of the freaks. Alucard's shadows grew and weaved into other arms, The Other Arms as I had mentally dubbed 'em, and he worked on other Things while he helped Molly rip one of the creatures apart. He pulled out his jackal with one of his Other Arms and shot Molly in the head and of course she turned to dust but her body did not immediately reform, the dust hung in the air, "I'll be getting you back later, Red," and suddenly built up a velocity and hurled itself at the crowd.

"Geese down!" I roared over the noise and the Geese ducked as the sands wormed into all the other bodies that remained, only just able to divert away from our own men. The Things convulsed and were lifted up in the air as flesh and organs were ripped out and off, the bones started falling to the floor while the other Things exploded into dust clouds and added to Molly's form, which had, once again, reformed naked.

She doubled over retching dryly before long black talons shot out from her fingers, her body contorting as her skin started to stretch and blister, a roar of triumph echoed down the halls, half-deafening the rest of us still alive as she dug her talons into her torso and started to rip off her skin!

The General laughed victoriously, pride gleaming on his features as he followed her, his skin turning to dust around him as this other creature emerged from where his human-looking form had once stood. He stood around eight inches taller than Master- who must have been about 6"3- his great bulk somethin' I would only ever believe to be a nightmare- nothing could be that...frightening in real life.

His arms were like canons, his skin this sickly green colour, his hands big enough to crush a skull in each, the long, slightly curved black talons glistening threatening as he flexed his fingers. His chest was huge in comparison to a relatively small waist, but, somehow, this didn't seem ridiculous, it seemed manly but in a monstrous form. He sat on relatively dog-like haunches, save for his feet that looked reptilian, a curved claw sticking out from the back of his heel at a basically straight angle compared to Molly's bone stiletto. A long tail swished out, the large tree-trunk like thing smashing against the wall reducing parts of it to rubble as spines shot out from his back and down over the tail; but worse still was his face- there weren't nothin' human about it.

The large thing sat on a wide neck, the jaw line this angular thing that, when he opened his mouth to let out a huge roar, stretched down to show off the strange fangs; like shark's teeth, there were two rows at the top and bottom, the long black tongue licking the bone-white needles, the long, curved snake-fangs at the top almost matched by a bottom set. His nostrils had stretched into serpent-like slits, his eye sockets had widened to let in a another eyeball in each socket more to the side of his head so he might see any other attacks about him and his profile was sloping- like a snake's head only slightly humanised. His skull held a crown of pointed nodules, running around the top of his head with the spines from his back running up to join the horns, paired with two huge, half-spiralling horns at the sides of his head.

Master and I watched in amazement at the demon before us- this guy was...a monster! I realised I hadn't known exactly how strong he was, Master had never told me, neither had Molly or Pip, and now I was faced with this over seven feet tall demon/monster_ thing_! Could Master control him? _Yes, _my mind reasoned, _The demon may be strong but Master can match him no-o-o problem, there's nothing to worry about- sit back and enjoy the experience! _

Next was Molly, her turning not nearly as graceful or fluent, her body jerked in sudden directions as muscles redeveloped and stretched as her bones suddenly grew and splintered. She let out a sudden shriek, clutching her eyes as her eyeballs turned to a mixture of dust and black blood in her hands, her skin, usually white, became paler, her head threw back with an assortment of moans as her teeth lengthened- though she was not given a second set- and her tongue turned black and forked, she shoved her talons into her sockets and pulled, breaking the sockets for the new eyeballs to grow as smaller, daintier horns grew to either side of her head and smaller, bullet-sized horns grew across her forehead in a kind of tiara- like those crystal tiaras Fairy Queens would wear in the illustrations of children's books.

A long tail grew from behind her, the nodules of more horns on her back breaking through the skin with a weak fountain of blood, more growing in a curling 'v' shape from the small of her back up to her shoulder-blades and stopping at her shoulders. Scales started to grow over her tail and up the centre of her back to stop at her shoulders as another set shimmered around her the top of her back to cover her breasts and shiver down her sides, the dazzling red, black and midnight blue animating light briefly. She opened her eyes to show one set of her usual eyes, accompanied by black orbs beside them, her nose and jaw growing forwards to make a shortened dragon's snout.

She fell silent suddenly as two long talons grew from her elbows, angling up to her shoulders and I noted the greenish tinge, remembering her bones were coated in venomous enamel. The General clapped, letting out a loud roar, "That is the daughter I'm proud of!" Molly glared at him with defiance. _What?! She's his _daughter? _Doesn't anyone tell me anything?!_

She resorted to a crouching position, as she pawed at a dead body, turning it over before sniffing it and quickly recoiling, a small ethereal shriek slipped from her mouth. "These things are an abomination--where's Max?!" She suddenly screamed, jumping at the wall and bouncing from one wall to the other, running across the ceiling like a lizard. We all followed, the General resorting to all fours in a flash of sinews and muscles, rippling strength as I stopped at the door Molly had kicked down. She stood in the centre of the room, her red hair coiling itself into a braid.

"They're abominations, daughter, we shall kill them, come-"

"They are infants, how could I harm a child?" She answered, sticking her hand into one of the incubators and stroking the thing inside almost lovingly, the thing screeched at her and she withdrew quickly.

"See? They are abominations! They don't even recognise us as their superiors!" The General roared as Molly smashed the incubator into shards of plastic and quickly pulled the infant apart. Blood crawled up my throat, _Oh, God, they don't expect me to kill children, do they? _

Alucard shot at each infant in turn, the room filled with the smell of blood, death and septic wounds and I didn't want to look at whatever they were- they were children! I felt sick to my stomach! I had to get out of there! I ran in the opposite direction, finding Pip and the rest of the Geese getting the hell out of there. I followed them, not being able to stomach the massacre- Master would hate me for it, but...there are parts of me that are still human and a human couldn't watch as three monsters killed innocent children!

**The Mighty General Agaliarept,**

"**Kezo'krath Otetski" of the Inner Circle Army**

**All demon needs its own language XD please excuse me, I'm just trying to have a little fun. You don't realy need to know the words he uses just that they are extended upon the Russian and most have something to do with a power/gift and war. Cuzha'rish-warrior (though in Russian czuh-bitch lol, ain't it grand?)**

I had been disappointed with her, but, then again, hadn't I been disappointed with Gregore? (who is now one of my more ruthless soldiers) I had always been quite the misanthropist, but perhaps it was time I started to take on a more optimistic outlook on un-life, after all, my daughter is not a waste of blood and flesh, as I had feared, but can be quite the _cuzha'rish_.

I remember Beatrice well, Molly really does look like her, it's soothing to see her glare at me, as _Mon Beau Beatrice_ did on so many occasions, with her lips turned down and her eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch. I do actually miss my beautiful Beatrice, though no self-respecting demon would confess to that out loud, I can remember the way she would dance with me at the end of a long day, how her features, usually so stoic, would light up in a great beam, how her laugh would echo in my ears as I spun her around, the drab attire spinning about her.

Her fair hair had been incredibly soft, I remember running my fingers through it on many the occasion, wondering how she kept it so clean and beautiful looking when my wife (The widow of Monsieur Le Blanc of Versailles, whom I had no affections for whatsoever- sleeping with her was a duty, not a pleasure) would not allow any of the maids enough water for a proper bath. Only to later find out that she had bathed in the small river running through the town, just at the bottom of the garden, practically every day.

Melanie had been an incredibly jealous woman, even though she had been appealing to look at she found something in every other woman around her to be jealous of, in Beatrice's case it was simply the fact that I favoured her. I will be brutally honest and say that it had not been Beatrice's looks that captivated me, it was her scent, her eyes, her skin and the way the air around her seemed to bend so that when I walked past her I felt asphyxiated- it was the very enchantments she put upon me that captivated me to her, not her appearance.

She had had a thin, straight nose; her mouth, turned down at the corners, was pleasing to me, it did not hold any falsity, she smiled and laughed when she was genuinely happy and the cut of her upper lip was unique, it was not a smooth bow but, had a sculptor created it, been created with accurate straight lines, the two points creating steep slopes in a basin-like valley beneath her nose. She had bitten her lip a lot as well, though only when Melanie had ridiculed her and she kept herself from beating the spoilt and envious bitch into a messy pulp; or when she wanted to say something but couldn't, or when she was concentrating... or to hold back cries of pleasure.

She had been one of a kind. And I regretted not going back to her straight away; if I had, I would have immediately smelt her pregnancy, stayed with her throughout the whole mess, saved her from being bitten, raised Molly as my own and stayed here, in this fresh, brilliant world that, now I have not seen it in so long, I feel completely apart from.

But, I don't think I could have raised her better, she is my own _prezi'hrasnaia Dochish_, any of those soldiers I have created, any of the Lords or Ladiesin the Courts of the Inner Circle would attest to that, no _Rochish _or _Rochishki _could take her place. As considerate, thoughtful, merciful and kind as she can be, I see her now and I know she is a demon.

Molly finishes off the last, healthier looking infant without a moment's hesitation; she screams at the walls, throwing the cot at the wall, the wood splinters and showers us all, before turning her ears to a door in the corner. I can smell it too..._fear_.

The three of us near the door, my hand closes around the doorknob, the sphere of cold metal compressing in my excited state. Molly watches eagerly as I open the door to find a small office, monitors are dotted all around the room, showing heart rates and the rest of the needed information for each baby, showing live feeds of the nursery, the corridors and a Businessman's office- he sits upon the windowsill, smoking fearfully and watching through the window.

"Hello, sir, I was wondering if you might tell us where we can find your employer." Molly asks politely, directing her voice to a corner just behind another desk, where fear radiates beautifully, Molly sighs exasperatedly, claws clicking against the tiled floor as she steps up to the desk. She pulls it away suddenly, leans in to his face, "Boo!" She whispers, the human shrieks jumping and immediately trying to get past her. Alucard catches him by his lab-coat easily and lifts him off his feet, grinning maniacally, his white teeth glistening in the dull, flickering lights coming from the ceiling.

Molly stands next to me, folding her arms as Alucard asks him quietly where we can find Maximus, and the snivelling thing has the audacity to ignore him and kick at him! Alucard laughs, throwing him to me easily, "Your turn." I can feel his pulse racing beneath my fingers, his flesh cold and damp with sweat, his upper lip glistening with perspiration. I don't even bother using words, why waste intelligent words upon an imbecile? I roar at the top of my lungs, Molly laughs suddenly, her grin growing; she bounces up and down and clicks over towards a cupboard as I wait impatiently for the answer.

"M-Maxi-max-max-imus is-is u-u-u-upsta-airs," the human answers in a staccato fashion. I snigger, my grip tightening around his throat, he kicks and squeals like a dying animal and finally I call upon my own powers, the superior _Vekne'hezdria_, wherein the roots that had first created me return through the single shadow left and bury their heads into his flesh and divert all his life, memories, pleasures to me. I take my time, enjoying it and not really thinking about the other two as they pull back the cupboard, which the human must have pushed in place as soon as he had seen us on the monitors, to reveal stairs going up- possibly straight up to Maximus' office.

I watch as Molly follows Alucard slowly, her blue-tinged porcelain flesh glistening where blood had hit her skin and been absorbed and the scales along her back, parts of her torso and, now, the whole of her legs rippled and glistened in anticipation of the next kill.

Alucard thought me mad for ever implying that her admiration of him was something a little bit more than platonic, that her admiration and obedience could mean she saw him as a possible _Serezli_- and I would be happy if they did get together as _Herepeskis_, after all, Alucard was what I would want for her, and would perhaps be better for her than any of my _Rochkishkies._ Though he was a mere Vampire, he was old enough for her- it would improper for her to become attached to a younger man, such a thing is just not done- intelligent enough, cruel enough, he would keep her in line, teach her well should she need teaching and, such a thing could not be overlooked by the _Kezo'krath Otetski, _he had power that seemed enough to keep me fettered while I was weakened my the dilution of my powers created by the earth and it radiated off him. My own eyes could see, as I blinked, the white of his power glowing brightly in the blackness of impotent beings and things about him. No doubt Molly could see that too, perhaps that is what captivated her so, the possibility that at any moment he could crush her.

Alucard and I talked often of the old ways, making it quite clear to me that he was one of the ancients, but we also dabbled in conversations of his ventures, one being Molly's "purge" as he had come to calling it; that evening they had been duelling and he had laughed contentedly, "She seems to believe that one day she may actually beat me, though I'm not implying I am unbeatable, just that she will need a little more training to get that skilled. She enjoys the kill, and enjoys being pushed to her limits- she's an adrenaline junkie- and seems to think that to die fighting, even at by my hand, would be an honourable enough death." To this I had asked: "Should you have the chance in a fight, would you kill her?" his answered had not shocked me, "At the moment, there's no point in killing her, she's useful to Hellsing and to my master. Integra would not allow me to kill her unless she became a nuisance and in that case her execution would be how she would want it- by my hand, during a fair though poorly matched fight." His eyes though, they had looked doubting, like he was actually thinking that perhaps he would not enjoy doing that, that he hoped it would not come to that point.

The body fell to the ground and I watched as a second shadow formed around my feet. I would be here a little longer, earlier I had worried that I would be taken back to the Inner Circle before letting Molly get to know me, her father- that would not be fair at all.

I follow the pair upstairs, the sounds of choking, gasping screams slowly growing louder and in frequency. I stop in the doorway as a body flies past my nose and crumples against a glass cabinet, the shards of glass tinkling to the floor like small bells, the moans of the vampire turning into shouts of pain as he pushes his shoulder back into its socket.

"I know you, do I not, Mister Engel? We have met before, to my own comprehension we have met frequently though decades ago- perhaps you do not remember me? I believe I lived under a different name then- will you not answer me? Hmm?" Molly's pitch had altered, slightly higher, though far more chilling and menacing than I had heard it in my short stay on this earth. I was proud of that also, her voice was one that could command whole armies, punish those that needed punishing and soften with a sort of sweetness for those who were loyal to her.

Maximus glares at her defiantly, his blue eyes cold in suppressed rage, "Yeah, I know you, I remember you well, actually, and I'm surprised you remember _me._ You never seemed to remember before and your old Master told me you would never remember- so, what's changed? Perhaps your screwing that vampire and he's gotten into your head and found everyt-"Molly appears over him in a gust of wind and sand, her eyes burning with electric fury as she pulls him to his feet by his throat.

"I remember you well, Gustav! And I remember exactly what you were like...I don't suppose you know my opinion of rapists!"

Alucard bristles as Molly throws Max- or should I say Gustav?- upon the desk and holds him down, eyes glowing with unadulterated hatred and disgust and I watch as the two of them set upon him like cruel vultures upon a carcass and rip him apart, easing him in and out of death with the promise of it all ending if he would just tell them everything. Maximus puts up a fight, of course he does, though rambles on bitterly about his master knowing that she would remember and torture him, but he carried on laughing as they plucked out his last eye, "You have no idea what he's capable of! He has so many other ideas! This was just a test-run! The next plan will be global! Finally, Immortals will take their deserved places in society as the rulers, the nobles! The Pathetic humans will be our meals- how could you fight against that, a vampire and two demons that want humans to live like this? For your own kin to live like cowards in the shadows? We _will_ be respected!"

Alucard finally prises Molly off of Gustav, a lump of blood and bone on a wooden desk, and drains him of the remaining blood, the blood enlightening him to any plans Max might have had. He pulls away, licking blood from his jaws before turning his eyes to the four corners of the room, "He filmed it," Alucard elicits calmly, "he wanted to see how strong we are, how far we are willing to go to save the human race- he can hear us," Molly roars angrily in response.

"Then hear this you disgusting demon slime! We'll find you and we'll tear you apart! You and all your underlings will fall and it shan't be an unruffled affair!"

A fax machine on the desk, unceremoniously spattered with blood and flesh, chirps cheerfully as blood-smeared paper is processed with a message, Alucard snatches it up, smirks and hands it to Molly, I glance over her shoulder:

'Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you- The Real Master'

Molly laughs also, echoing my own chuckle. "I like him," I chuckle, "I can't wait to get my teeth into him, he proves an entertaining kill, wouldn't you say, daughter?" Molly's lip curls, her claws clicking over the woodwork and, to add salt to the wound, dragged them across the varnished woodwork, leaving long welts in the polished flesh of the wood. "Tell us all later, please, my tall, dark and strangely sadistic friend, right now I would very much like to see something burn,"

"I agree with you entirely, Little Blue," How quaint, they both have pet names for each other, I hadn't heard Alucard call her Little Blue before, though had heard her call him Red a million times in the fortnight I'd stayed with them. They did make quite a pair; together, their cruelty knew no bounds, though, on the odd occasion that Molly felt especially philanthropic Alucard would scorn her enough to bring her back to her demonic senses. Even if Alucard had no intention of letting her get that close to him, or had no interest, her simply being a friend to him seemed to be enough.

I knew the way she looked at him as they talked in front of me, on the way back down the stairs, the pair stepping over the hunched corpse complacently and still talking together, something about how long the "Real Master" would wait until setting up another plan. Molly's eyes sparkle as she looks up at her companion adoringly, Alucard's eyes that usual bored red in uninterested answer. But, perhaps, his own affections for her would be tested soon.

As the Kezo'krath to the inner circle, I could see the worst that had come to pass and the worst things yet to come- quite a wonderful power, I think, to see all the battles past and future and know exactly which side would win. (This is how I knew how to win "La Guerre Folle" ten years before Molly was born") and with this gift came a curse. I could see that my daughter would be tested, once again, to the extremes and the test itself would either kill her, sustain her as almost completely human- perhaps fearing that using her abilities would lead to another test- or leave her as one of the most deadly and bloodthirsty demons one could ever imagine. I was hoping for the latter, obviously, though my vision was not yet so clear that I could see exactly how it would all turn out- The Earth does that to a General Demon.

I moved ahead of them, shivering off my true form hesitantly as more freaks and there obedient corpses appeared from the shadows, the humans left from the attacks in the basement shoot their big machine guns with ground teeth, their eyes weary and screaming for rest and life and home. Molly and Alucard tore into the corpses eagerly, snapping their jaws and snapping bone as I crushed skulls between my humans hands and plucked bullets out from the air before they could hit me, calling upon my Sight to see every single living or unliving thing in the clearing, hearing exactly what they were thinking and watching out for any attacks on me. Molly turned to dust, quickly reforming with a murderous growl only to disperse again and slip into the screaming mouth of the impotent freaks, they gagged, rolling on the damp ground as their veins broke free of their skin and the blood trailed towards Molly eagerly as she shiftedin and out of her earth and demon form.

One of my half-sisters could do exactly the same thing, we called it Blood Calling; while shifting they would slip into the attackers' bodies and infect every molecule of blood, once infected, a portion of the sands escaped the body to call the rest of the blood out of the body to help reform a bigger and stronger body. Of course, she had also used it too frequently, which had led to, well...I believe the scientific word to use here is Mitosis. She split into two, slowly and painfully arms grew out of her sides and then, after a few more battles, her sister appeared, my first wife, Circe.

It seems Molly had acquired quite a few of my Blood-line traits: Blood-Calling, rapid Shifting, telepathy; I just hoped she wasn't like my mother, a _Sarborszek Krovishki_, wherein she ruined the First Circle and is still unable to control herself or her young. She lies as this sluggish thing on a throne befitting a queen while being guarded by so many of _my_ soldier demons to stop the rest of the demons of Hell from letting her sup from them in the hope of something _more_.

That hadn't occurred to me before, but now it has...I pray to Lucifer she isn't, she is an Earth Dweller and a _Sarborszek Krovishki_ on earth would not be a good thing, the world would surely end within a few hundred years, or Alucard would have to kill her and I wouldn't want that of her, she would not do well in the Inner Circle. Her brothers and I would guard her well, but that might not suffice, my Lieutenants and Sergeants would jump at the chance to ensure a place in the monarchy and if that meant bedding her and getting her pregnant so what? No, Molly was fragile and I would hate for her to ever come and "visit" me.

Alucard impales the ghouls on branches of trees and Molly slaughters them, the building before me now slowly becoming bathed in the reds of blood. "Right, everyone get down!" Came the Frenchman's shout.

We jumped back as the lower building lit up in orange, the great boom reminiscent of the Gongs of Hell, ringing out to warn of another war. The ground rumbled as the cellars lit up in plumes of smoke and fire, catching the ground floor as another round of explosives went off on the first floor and then the second floor. The blood stained walls cracked, the foundations groaned as more plumes of smoke billowed out from the windows and rubble from the cellars drifted up the stairways as the foundations started to give in.

The top floor collapsed first, taking out the second - more rubble and debris- and the building fell in on itself as more explosions from gas tanks and electrical lines gave out more fire. The orange against the pitch-black sky was a perfect amalgamation of shadow and light. Molly stood up slowly, her grin widening as Alucard stood up behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder, the flames reflected in her black and blue eyes and made the venom on her fangs glisten like dew on a leaf. Alucard's own smile spread as the building completely collapsed with a loud crash, the humans turned their heads away as a sudden rush of debris went past us to escape into the trees. The flames still burning brightly, throwing the long tree shadows across the woodland floor, we headed towards the second building as the explosives inside that one went off.

The humans stood near the tree-line behind the vans as there was a tremendous boom. The glass of the windows shattered and sprayed the tarmac; the explosion reached the very stars, blowing off the roof in one go, as the east and west wings started to collapse into the basement as more miniature explosions from the laboratories went off. The cars nearest the building were subjugated to a hammering of debris as pipes flew through the empty windows and speared the gas tanks. The chemicals, gas lines and electrical lines, all making for perfect kindling, the fire roaring relentlessly, growing and devouring the cars nearest, those exploded, the glass shattering and raining down upon the tarmac once again.

The explosions carried on for some fifteen minutes, more glass shattering as the ground rumbled and more foundations collapsed. Molly "ooh"ed and "aah"ed in the background comically, smirking triumphantly as the traitorous humans cried out in despair as their Audis were devoured in flames and their "life's work" was ruined. No-one would know what they were doing. The Captain said something to his comrades about the rich Lords, Ladies and businessmen being forced to sign a confidentiality agreement and never speak of the Toxihedrants again; if they asked why. they would be told that the Toxihedrants had been tested and proved positives for creating severe mental illnesses: schizophrenia, major depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and a number of other illnesses.

Molly started to laugh as the building finally completely disintegrated and the flames continued to consume the remains. She started cart wheeling across the tarmac, dancing joyously; the red, black and blue scales capturing the firelight and glistening in such a way that made them look like silk. Her red hair span around her and she started to sing as loudly as she could in the operatic voice of hers something that indeed sounded triumphant and scorning, her tongue fluent in the pronunciation of the German words.

Alucard grinned, "One of my favourites, how did you know?" Molly paused in her singing to answer him.

"It involves Mephistopheles and an array of demons and the occult, it just seemed like something you would enjoy- plus, there is a lot of talk about death, and we all know how well acquainted you are with it." Alucard smirked motioning for her to follow him towards the black van we had come in, and of course, my little fiery angel is obedient enough to follow him and start another one of their conversations.

I sigh inwardly, watching as Molly pranced about beside him, her claws clicking against the pavement, nodding eagerly and smirking triumphantly as they stopped at the van and continued talking. I won't lie, if they ever did become _Herepeskis _I would preside over the ceremony and would welcome Alucard to the family, though, of course, the chances were slim as I doubt even Molly knows of her infatuation, she is so unpractised in that part of life, having been incredibly solitary and having also hated men since god-knows-when.

I feel the itch at my ankles and watch as my first shadows shrinks away and I'm left with the single one. I would have to make my time with Molly count, I had only another two or so weeks, maybe not even that, the pull of the Inner Circle was too great, which leads me to believe that there is another war going on- which I'm missing! The smell of burning flesh, the prolonged boom of the Gongs, the screeches of our opponents as we ground their bones underneath our boots and won- each time we won.

My army never lost and I have a strange feeling that, so long as Molly remained with Hellsing, they would never lose, and, in the foreseeable future, I could see that Molly would make a good General, would keep her army under control and enforce strict regimes. The perfect daughter, my _prezi'hrasnaia Dochish. _

**A/N: weeeeell, I'm toying with the idea of ending this volume here...naah, I have one last chapter it'll be small, very small, but yeah. And in that chapter you will see and you will know and you will be like OMG! I hope...now I have an essay to write. **


	31. only a nightmare will unfold

Epilogue part 1

**Epilogue part 1**

**A/N: In the unique style of Hirano I shall now finish this volume with a little something, something. Lovers of Hellsing will get how this is influenced by his own works as soon as they read the first couple of sentences. And those who are not as fanatical and more whimsical, just go with the flow. I would like to say this has been great to write, but...volume two should be up soon! This is the final chapter...though I really am thinking of adding in perhaps one more chapter...which will make you all go NO...so maybe I'll keep that for volume two, eh? **

**I'll be tying up a lot of loose ends in this chapter, it'll be quite small. ...I think...with a LOT of POV changes. Molly, narrative, narrative flashbacks...Molly...**

Narrative:

_He sat back in his desk chair, crossing his ankle over his knee as had been habitual for him for centuries, though he missed the comforting weight that had once been cradled there. Oh, don't get him wrong, it was not a caring nostalgia, moreover it was a kind of longing. He could remember her smell, she hadn't been a beautiful young lady but had had an eye-catching quality to her, her stance and gait were commanding, eye-catching and enthralling, but she had been younger then- what would she be like now? He'd seen pictures of her since, hadn't seen her movement, but knew her face all too well for spending hours looking at it, hating it but yearning for it. In fact, he sought out that picture, pulling a beige file out from under a load of monogamous paperwork. All needless, all a lie, the world thought he sat there, typing up everything, being the important scientist, but he had no interest for it, he left it on his desk to droop with age until one of the underlings did it for him- as was custom with every businessman in the world, right? _

_The lights outside the building threw stripes of gold through the drawn blinds, shining on his platinum blond hair in such a way that it glistened like a knife as it was flicked towards your eyes. _

_He flinched, recoiling from the memory as that eye-catching face flashed up into his eyes, the cold sting of a blade seemingly presenting itself in his eye-socket and across his nose. He fingered the slight ridge subconsciously as he glared at the photo, the blood-red hair pulled up on top of her head with an ornamental top hat sat there at a rather odd angle. Perhaps, if he had just glanced at it briefly, he would have thought that the dark haired pimp-like man was her caring lover, his arms slung around her waist while the other hand rested on her upper arm, but the street light illuminated something that only he would notice- the glint in her eyes. The cold blue flashed malevolently and the "lover's" arm was tensed slightly too much- he was bargaining her away to two other men. _

_A bang echoed from the laptop and his eyes drifted to the screen as a demonic thing sauntered into the room behind a tall and imposing vampire -obviously he was a vampire, his great maw was full with sharp teeth. He watched in interest as his son stood up from the window sill and rested his hands on the desk to hide the fact that they were shaking hard. He had told his boy that he would come for him when the time was right, but he never would, some people had to be sacrificed for the bigger and better plans to work, after all, he had ruined it in the first place! Selling the product outside of work, giving it to all the richest people he could, letting one of the first pregnant bimbos go... he had had to work doubly hard to make it look like it was simply a disease presenting itself in certain blood types. But, though it had been a hindrance, it had also had an advantage- automatically, every O blood-type file was sent to his office, ready for his eyes to peruse casually until he found it. _

"_Unidentified female, suffering from slit wound to the throat, blood-type: O. Age: 16? Patient shortly vanished." _

_Molmally handled every scientific discovery known to man, it's branches worked for secret organizations all over the globe, the two most interesting being Iscariot and Hellsing- He loved reading their files. _

"_Subject: male._

_Name: Alexander Anderson. _

_Height: 6"2(1.88meters)_

_Weight: 12st5lbs_

_Blood-type: O+ _

_IQ: 124_

_Patient notes: Self-righteous, willing to serve, highly religious, passive-aggressive, polite, helpful, tendencies for compassion._

_Present RoR (Rate of Regeneration): 38.99_

_Upgrade RoR: 39.6_

_Upgrade Source: Molmally GMAA branch 'Acorn'._

_Procedure notes: Successful. Subject suffered severe fever (102.5) severe convulsions. Blackening of the skin. Temporary Blindness. Temporary Insanity. Heavy bleeding and frequent vomiting. Ordered by Enrico Maxwell. Countered by his Holiness: Procedure contrary to human rights and possibly life-threatening" _

"_Subject: Male_

_Name: (Alucard)_

_Blood-type: Undefined_

_Present RoR: 39.78_

_IQ: --(unreliable information. Subject is telepathic) Estimated: 149_

_Subject notes: Showing tendencies to severe sadism. Psychopathic- unstable superego. _

_Height: 6"4 (1.93meters)_

_Weight: --"_

"_Subject: Female_

_Name: Molly "Blue"_

_Blood-type: O-_

_Height: 5"2.5_

_Weight: 8st1lb _

_IQ: 145_

_Present RoR: -- (Fluctuations and unreliable blood samples) estimated: 34 _

_Subject Notes: Compassionate, vengeful, easily irritated, mental fluctuations I-e-S aggressive, masochistic? Durable, restless, intelligent, suffers from insomnia and permanently suffers from nightmares. Suffers from major depression. Late development brought on by depression, undernourishment and consistent physical stress. Memory Loss."_

"_Subject: Female_

_Name: Seras Victoria_

_Blood-type: AB+ _

_IQ: 122_

_Height: 5"5_

_Weight: 9st2lbs_

_Present RoR: 36_

_Subject notes: Helpful, kind, bubbly, feelings of inferiority, difficulty adapting to vampiric lifestyle. Past PTS sufferer. Sudden vampiric personality traits." _

_And with that came his knowledge of the two organizations that wanted his blood and his head on a spike, "Let them try!" he laughed inwardly._

_He watched as the demonic pair set upon his son and he didn't bat an eyelid, until she said his real name and then he laughed. He stood up, laughing into the screen as she said it over and over again with each pound of her fist, with each bone that broke beneath her or her companion's fingers. He could hear the hidden hysteria in her voice, the daunting horror of it all. "Yes, Cherub, that's our old friend Gustav." _

_He grinned cruelly at remembering her in the courtyard, lying unconscious by his feet after her had knocked her out, blood dripped from the corner of her mouth, soaked her back; she had been there no longer than two weeks and she already looked deathly pale. But he didn't care, he had said he wouldn't come back, he would, after all, he did own the asylum- or owned part of it. He just wouldn't show his face to her, he would use his trusty orderly Gustav instead, he was eager to please and to do as he was told- he liked him so much he fancied turning him into a vampire. Of course he would bind Gustav to him first, he didn't want him turning out like her, did he? _

_Poor little Anais Molyneux; his little Cherub, his little toy._

**Molly.**

It was him. Of all people it was him! Dear Lord have mercy on my writhing soul! It was _him_.

I looked to his otherwise pretty face and I felt it, felt _him_, I could feel his fingers working in the wounds on my back, his sex pushing inside of me, my delirium had returned as if suppressed and dormant for years and came back with that one recognition.

His voice had been different, reminded me of Him, but I had been too crazed, too ill and wounded to know that until a few hours later when I looked down at my own body and saw that it was soiled and ruined and warped and twisted and...and...obliterated. The extirpation of my innocuous body, my innocent soul had been far worse than any lashing, than any corporeal punishment.

I was still a virgin, physically, but presently I had seen, felt and known what men really were. What humans really were. What I was seen as. Women were seen as pathetic, as implements of the males' pleasure, as simply a toy with which they may play with when and as they pleased and they used their bodies as weapons and, God, how those weapons could wound!

And I had looked upon his face, glowing with immortality and had felt the fear of my imminent rape, had mentally recoiled for but a moment as I had felt his body pierce mine and his fingers work into my spine and then the fear had been replaced with sheer delight- my body now a vessel of vengeance had been but half full, now, thanks to his appearance, it was bursting, overflowing and the warm wine warmed me, warmed my frozen heart and I had set upon him. Alucard had at first been amused, but had then realised what Gustav must have done and the anger and disgust on his face... it looked like the face he might pull if an unworthy opponent took a gun to his own head during a battle to the death.

I hoped he would not ask what had happened oh-so many years ago, though he knew from my blood I was still a virgin so no doubt he had drawn the right conclusion.

The sky was painted with elaborate crushed velvet oranges, scattered with rubies and black sapphires of smoke. The stars were just visible behind the blanket of clouds and the blanket of smoke, and they were dazzling, they reminded me of the crystalline stars of the French countryside outside the small cottage we had escaped to as a "family", around two hundred years ago...But hadn't I read that?

My mind split. Written and present sight intermingling and I realised, at some point, I had reread my journal! I scanned my thoughts relentlessly, my mind swelling with the pressure of finding something that was seemingly hidden. And there it was, Recognition sat beneath a Hemlock vine in a white swing, smiling congenially in a thin white dress, the lethal black talons hidden in the folds of silk and she stood up, turning to look at me with a faceless white mask, the eyes empty and inside I saw the memory seep out and takeover the blank mask.

Alucard handed me the ruined volume and inside was, written by my own hand, the inner workings of my mind, every thought. With this volume, one might actually comprehend my way of thinking, something I find so atrocious! My mind is as disjointed and bizarre as it is to halt the prying eyes, to halt the thoughts that I might be fathomable, to avoid being "figured out", for to be figured out would be to douse myself in fuel and light a match. Once grasped, I was too simple, too easily used and manipulated.

And Alucard had read my mind, had flicked through it leisurely, absorbing my language, my desires, my fancies, my days and my habits; had sat in his usual high-backed chair in the Den and listened to me twitter on chirpily about everything, had watched the usual French curling letters slowly take on the reddish tinge of blood and followed each sentence to my heart which lay on the last page, still just beating. And even then, as I had taken it and read over it leisurely as if it was merely prose, I had handed it back and it lay beating in his pocket, I could hear the slow swell, watched as his hand dipped in repeatedly as I spoke and he caressed it, knowing exactly what I was saying without my explicit statements.

I carry on talking to him as I do normally, watching as he glanced at the scales across my chest covering the sensitive orbs at my chest, covering the very thing that made me a woman now. I caught his knowing smiles as I had said one thing but really meant something else, he knew me; it was daunting, uncanny, but somehow comforting.

His eyes glisten in the firelight, the rubies burning brightly from an evening of carnage that boasted to make up for every other somnolent evening previously. "I hope we won't be plunged back into tediousness, I miss killing." He said conversationally.

"I think I've had enough fun for the week, if I am going to be entirely honest with you, my dear friend; but I do comprehend how you might feel bored once more after this evening. I shan't go back to uneventful evenings without a fight, I assure you." Alucard nods, glancing towards the remains of the building.

"Will you be staying with us, now you have done what you have set out to do?"

"Do you want me to leave?" I ask before I can stop myself, Alucard glances back down to me and I feel my body tremble, he frowns. Bones snap in my torso and my tail turns to dust, Alucard pulls off his coat, ready to wrap it around me quickly as I resort back to my flat feet, the sudden drop in height quite strange. My spine seemed to shrink also and I was simply 5"2 again, looking up to Alucard at such a steep gradient my neck started to ache.

He wraps the familiar coat around me as the scales finally turn to ash, spilling over my skin and pooling at my feet. "Do I want you to leave?" Alucard mused aloud, the deep incredibly masculine voice hypnotising, comforting and terrifying- and yet I felt not a shred of fear, save the fear of his answer- I held my breath in anticipation of his answer.

He rolled the sleeves up to my wrist and took his time answering, knowing that I was the bait on a hook, the fish his answer- whether it forced me into its black abyss or missed me. He straightened up and smirked, his knowledge of me exposing my need to know his answer, my fear of his answer, my strong anticipation, though maybe he could smell it on me.

"I've grown quite used to having a little Demon at my side, it's quite entertaining-for me, obviously not our targets, they never have a chance," he chuckled darkly, " You're a good companion, and- what I admire above all things- have a strong stomach. But, if you feel the need to leave..." he sighed, the covert knowledge that I would stay playing a twitch at his lips, "I can't stop you, can I?"

"I suppose not," I answered coldly, though my heart skipped a beat as I realised that he thought I was a good companion, someone that he could trust, someone who would obey, though could still show initiative. I felt my cheeks heat up, "But," I cleared my throat and scorned my blood for revealing my pleasure at a compliment, "I suppose I can't very well leave you to wander the evenings alone- we'd miss out on too much, me: your sadism and cruelty and you: my righteousness and sexism." Alucard smirked.

"So how long can we expect you to be with us?" He asked nonchalantly. I toyed with the red sleeves, the coarse fabric awakening sensations in my fingertips as my senses dulled and spiked repeatedly.

"A month or so, maybe?" I mused.

Oh, to speak with him and to stand beside him and to know that, at some level, he trusted me and looked to me like he would a fellow-soldier intent of saving each other's lives, I believe they were called blood-brothers, was a fancy of mine that had stirred within my mind for nights and days and now it had finally come true. I was confused with myself, this sense of admiration had swelled somewhat in the last few hours and I felt I would suffocate without his presence, his presence being the very air I breathed- as clichéd as it may sound.

I could remember feeling something like this for Thierry, my lover and my victim. Lord, I hadn't thought of that for ..two hundred years? My heart lurched as I looked back and could see clearly the day I was born as this monster in such clarity that it was almost tangible beneath my sharpened beak, death's very own bird, the crow.

I could remember every death, every life I had snuffed out like a single breathe upon a candle's flame. There it stood, a candle in a sea of candles and I stepped up to it boldly and breathed death upon it until the light was gone and the smoke furled up in one last wisp and vanished forever, I had done that tirelessly since the day we had tried to escape. And Alucard knew of my fighting, my constant battling, my past helplessness and he knew- oh, lord help me, he knew what He had done to me! Did he think less of me? Did he see me as pathetic for not being able to fight Him? I assure you, my friend, I was but a human then! My gifts and strengths were not yet material to me, and only appeared to me, as you had, as my Gabriel, a messenger of good news and hope, after that very evening.

"I remember," I whispered under my breath as we stepped out of the van and turned our faces to the black outline of the Manor, the crystalline windows upon the walls flashed suddenly as lighting and thunder clapped and it was only apparent to me then that it was raining. I said it again to myself, "I remember." And I realised that for so many years I had done nothing else than fight for those memories and now they had come I was but a limp torch doused of its fire. The memories drained me, strained me, tortured me, every nightmare I had ever had came back and it was all real! All had happened!

The scars across my body...my old friends, I knew each of them all the more now, that one: yes, you, were you not created by a white-hot rod? And you, yes, you standing there looking at me accusatorily, but it was you that was created by a conscious dissection, and you and you and you...

They had been friends and now they were nought but shadows of pain. I had known what they stood for before, but I could feel the pain now, the pain had not been real before had just been a fleeting dream and now it came back with every wave of recognition.

"You remember?" Alucard asked as we walked through the open main doors and stood dripping in the foyer, the rest of the Geese had gone around to the other door to return the weapons to their homes.

"Yes, Red, I remember, I remember everything and I know what you tried to do," I looked up at him at this point as Walter appeared on the stairs, "you endeavoured to help me consider my past, you deduced my entire character and tried to help me rediscover myself, for that I am incredibly grateful- it must have been frustrating for you." Alucard shrugged nonchalantly, jerking his head in direction of the staircase down to the cellar and dungeons, he bade me follow and I obeyed him, walking in step with him as we slipped into the darker corridors of the cellars and down.

"Any other individual would have taken advantage of that fact; as it was, you may have controlled me, grasping the way I thought, how I worked. You knew my fancies, my experiences and, having no recollection of ever writing any of it down or any recollection of my past experiences, you could have done anything and instead you tried to make me remember, I am forever in your deb-"

"As much as I love hearing how you are grateful and indebted to me, it does get quite boring. Blue, though I knew all these things, I would not work against you- you have never worked against me, right?" I shook my head, opening my mouth to answer before he carried on, "It would be imbecilic of me to work against the very person who is working with me, wouldn't it? I'm rather hurt that you believe me to be an imbecile."

I smiled, shaking my head contentedly, knowing full well how this game would go, he would feign hurt and I would apologise and then he would laugh loudly that I might believe that I could harm him at all- even if it were merely emotionally.

I entered my room, the heating having come on at some point and warmed the inner chamber so that waves of repose swelled and rippled over my skin. I stumbled over to the small wardrobe and considered for a moment what I felt like wearing, if I was going to be entirely honest with myself and everyone else about me, I very much felt like plodding around in my pyjamas and a warm, fluffy bathrobe- though I knew as soon as that wonderful, blissful thought penetrated my mind that Integra would not appreciate my attire at all. And to wear a suit would be to mock her- supposedly.

It took me a few more moments to realise that I had company, that shadow of my friend, my very own Gabriel, sat in his usual chair at the end of the table to my left, reclining leisurely, as was custom to him after an eventful evening. I had been in the midst of dropping the coat, but, upon seeing him sitting in the chair I pulled the coat back up and glared at him as coldly as I could- to glare at him coldly was to contradict everything I felt upon seeing his sharp features, his long nose, his high cheekbones and his mouth, supposedly cruel, though so sweet, it played a part in an occasional fancy, if I were to be entirely honest. (Though, please understand, at the time I would scorn myself for it, would jerk awake and retch, though still remained confused at those dark, carnal thoughts.)

"Could you make yourself useful and help me choose something to wear?" I continued glaring, disciplining my mouth into a frown though really wanting to smile at least a little bit. Alucard stood back up with an apathetic sigh and swooped in, standing at my shoulder while perusing the contents of my wardrobe with no interest at all. His fingers trailed over the different fabrics, all a different shade of blue or red, black or white until he paused at the familiar formal garb at the end of the wardrobe, the hangers of clothes pushed away from it, confessing its recent removal and replacement. The burgundy of the skirt and overcoat were vivid compared to the vague reds and blacks surrounding it, but he traced his fingers back until he found a long black skirt and red blouse, the front swooping low with ruffles surrounding the neck, the blackened buttons encompassed in gold.

"You don't wear enough red and black." He sighed, handing me the ensemble with a rather bored look on his face.

"Ah, I believe this is what Seras would call 'Dennis The Menace-esque'." Alucard raised an eyebrow as I took the hangers from his hand and draped them over the bed, my hands at the coat again, "Could you turn around please?" I asked as I dropped the duster and draped it over my bed beside the blouse and black skirt and rummaged through a bag beside my bedside cabinet until I found the plain underwear.

At the time, my naive mind held no lustrous thoughts at undressing in the same room as a, well, male figure, but now, I could say I long for it again. To know that at any moment he could turn around and see me, such an intimate thing to stand before a man without pretence and present to him the real you. I would turn, step towards the figure, rest my bony hand on his arm and watch as his head would turn to see me naked. But of course I remained at the bed with my back to him, my nonchalant humming a dull murmur at my lips.

Later he would ask to have the tale finished. He had read up until that dusk; "What happened next, Blue? How did you escape?" He would ask and I would answer truthfully, for to lie to him would be blasphemous to the highest echelon, how could I lie to him?

I was his own songbird, I see now, even if he might have caged me, fettered me in steel chains wrought indissoluble. I might still have sung to him gleefully, I was his own songbird at his disposal. If he might have said "come" I would have come, if he had ordered, "remove your right hand- your good hand" I would have done thus with an imbecile's smile upon my trifling visage.

**Narrative View:**

A slight figure pierced the light thrown from street lamps, darting around the immovable carapaces of cars, her red hair falling from its bun with each stride of her leg as her pace quickened and the bag on her shoulder slapped her thigh hard. She didn't want him catching her, didn't want him to punish her by calling out "his Boys" as he called them. She flinched fiercely as their visages stabbed through her mind like a keen blade. There was something within her that told her to have more faith in herself, in her fighting capabilities- but after last time...she didn't know any more.

She used to be so sure of herself, so certain that whoever she came up against she could kill without a moment's hesitation. At the Sanctuary they had been outnumbered, but that hadn't bothered them, they had been caught off guard, the slimy bastards has coerced their way into their lives and then ripped them apart- her mother had been first. She had fought them off, escaped and returned- after that she couldn't remember anything. She'd woken up three weeks later in Phil's bedroom, tied up, with four other girls trying their best to change her clothes and wash her through the bonds and it had spiralled on from there.

She was a prostitute.

A hooker.

A slag.

A slut.

A whore.

A harlot.

A doxy.

Call her what you may, she still slept with people for money- or did she? Her bag started to strain and the seams gave in, letting the contents of the bag spill out on to pavement just a few feet from her haven- the grave yard. She bent down, hastily collecting the more precious of the objects into her pockets, the jar of dried herbs still warm where she had clutched it for comfort moments before.

In her haste, she had given him too much. Poor sod. Died with trousers round his ankles, of all things. But if one unsatisfactory life meant keeping her virginity, her sanity, then it was worth it.

"Was it worth it, ya dumb bitch?!" A voice asks, as if conjured. His fist shortly follows, colliding with the side of her face and leaving her dazed and rather confused, where was she, who was she?

In the darkness, in the night, there were no passers by, especially not in the quieter roads of Ipswich, and Phil carried Molly through the city and any pedestrians thought nothing of it on a Saturday night. He dropped her unceremoniously on the doorstep of the block of modern flats and punched in a key-code aggressively. His fingers, once used, immediately snaked out and grabbed her by the hair. He dragged her through the foyer, one hand in her long hair, now liberated from its bun, and the other on her arm as he dragged her to the lift and threw her in before him.

She slowly got to her feet, swaying slightly as he set upon her again, throwing punch after punch into her face and stomach as he snarled, "stupid bitch!" over and over again. Molly slumped against the metal walls, sucking her lower lip of the wasted blood; she glared at him with contemptuous eyes, her own lip curling with malice.

"'I'm stupid'? No, I am intelligent! I have found a way to get around your punishment and it kills you!" For that she received another blow to her jaw, she stumbled, collapsing against the wall and sinking to the floor as black ink spots blotted her vision and darkness tinged the peripheries of sight. Phil caught her red hair and neck and dragged her out of the lift as the doors slid open, the door to his apartment already open with a tall thin woman holding it for him with a mournful look to her eyes.

Molly wriggled, threw a kick into his stomach and threw her fist in between his legs, his hands immediately released and she jumped to her feet and lunged towards the stairs as a hand caught her ankle and sent her sprawling. The tall, thin woman came out and, upon his order, grabbed her ankles as he threw another punch into her face and sent her into a spiralling state of unconsciousness, dancing between a partially lucid state of recognition and complete darkness.

He then shooed the women away, the scantily clad, roughed up looking women got up off the spare mattresses and blankets on the floor, off the sofas and armchairs and disappeared into the second bedroom, cramming themselves in so that their master could get on with whatever it was that he needed to do.

Molly sat up just as a kick hit her stomach, the cruel figure above her beating her hard, her nose snapped beneath his clenched fist, blood poured out onto the floor and stained a nearby blanket and he continued, thumping her, kneeing her and kicking her in the stomach as she coughed hard and retched.

Phil was a gifted vampire, it was one of the only reasons he seemed to have stayed alive this long, his gift- seeing snippets of the future. But his gift did not simply lie on seeing the future, he knew the future, by seeing into a subjects blood he could see any future that linked the two together in the future, or whether they had a vengeance against him- his gift was Freudian, telling all that he was very much a self-obsessed obnoxious fool. And with this gift he saw something transpire in her blood, her strange, discoloured mess, with the smell of a thousand diseased sows.

The blood smeared across the floor told a story, a story yet to be written and Phil watched reality unravel and a nightmare take over. His body shook hard as fear swelled inside of him and conquered him, he saw hell unleashed, a nightmare no-one could comprehend if they had not seen what he was seeing at that very moment! He glanced to the unconscious form on the floor and immediately left, she'd be out for hours and Pete and Luke needed to know this! They needed to know that, with the turn of her body, with the rising of the demon within her, only a nightmare would unfold.

**A/N: heeeey! Only me, the fan fiction author :D Hope you enjoyed chapter 30- I've gotten amazing feedback for it, which is great! I love you all! And have tried to reply to most of you, seeing as these are the last chapter, though I may have forgotten one or two people or can't really reply because there wasn't much to reply to….but I love you all! Thank you for being such good readers and reviewers! **

**Waaaaait, I've just realised this sounds like the notes you put at the end of a fan fiction…well, I'm misleading you- there is one last chapter! :D Epilogue Part II! Which should be up, I don't really know so don't hold me to it, straight after this one. **

**Round of applause for Marie as well! Her tweaking and perfecting rock my random little world XD and make my fic actually readable XD **

**The epilogue is basically tying up half of the questions left unanswered in this fic, ready for new ones in the next one, it also shows more stuff on Molly's backgorund, otherwise stuff in volume two is just going to be reaaally hard to understand, or at leats I think so! XD I should be writing V2 Chap1 tonight! Woooot!which means you'll be seeing and reading it in two weeks? Sorry about delays, my teachers are riding my arse about coursework and essays and whatnot. Isn't that typical?I get into fan fiction so much more when I have more work to do! This happened last year too! Gaaah!**

**Oh well!**

**Review me soon! **


	32. Epilogue

**II**

_The house fell silent, the shouts died away and a short, childish figure straightened up, the black silhouette clear against the back drop of the street behind a pane of glass, the street lamp illuminating a reddish tinge to the hair and the silver of a chain in her hand and the gleam of crossbow in the other. _

_The figure's hand went up to her mouth, wiping away blood with the back of her hand as she glared at the floor where ashes were smeared across the tiles from one end of the room to the other, clumps of the damp ash rubbed in between the tiles of the kitchen. The silhouette sighed and pulled the crossbow's strap over her shoulder, letting the avant-garde thing rest at her hip where a gun gleamed a few inches below through the slit of a long, dark blue skirt. She followed the ash to the next room, immediately hit with the smell of baby powders and lotions, the faint and lingering scent of the now deceased mother who had, no doubt, been staying up to watch over the boy after a night of nightmares and sickness. She paused, looking at the cradle coldly, eyeing the expensive looking cot with agitation whilst simultaneously glancing nervously at the figure inside it. _

_The child had sat up and had quite obviously been crying, though had stopped some time before and just looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to pick him up and comfort him or feed him or all the other things his parents would do. When the figure made no move to comfort or feed him, he let out loud squawk, throwing his head back and flailing his arms irately. "pick me up! Love me! Feed me! Now! Now! Now!" The figure moved towards him slowly, uneasily and rested her hand upon his head and then, finally gathering a sort of courage, lifted him out of the cot and in her arms. Immediately he stopped crying and immediately the ice radiating off the figure started to melt. She marvelled at him, the perfection and beauty of innocent made flesh! Everything about him was...beautiful, from his round, baby-face, scrunched up from crying and tear-stained, to the little pleading hands that gripped onto the lapel of her overcoat. _

_He no longer had parents, and, judging from his parents thoughts, there was no-one else to look after him. Which only meant one thing: Care. The figure had recently read articles on negligence and lack of budget in the Social Services and how children had been sent to Care Homes were the management staff were quite clearly abusing the children and this made the figure so...angry! She could not subjugate such beauty and perfection to such a cold, isolated, unwanted, possibly abusing and traumatic life! And instead the figure seemed to somehow argue that it was her fault she had not got there sooner and that if she had, the parents would still be alive and Baby would not have to face this uneasy fate. She made a decision then and there. _

"_I am going to look after you, Jack, I'm going to be your Other Mummy, is that alright?" The figure whispered as Police sirens echoed down the street. She grabbed the push-chair and the changing bag, quickly stuffing her crossbow underneath the seat and throwing a blanket over the top while wrapping another around Jack and securing him into the pushchair. She slipped out the back-door and up the garden and onto the street where she exited through an alleyway and glimpsed the two or three police-cars that whizzed past her to the house. Jack seemed to drift into sleep as she carried on walking until she found a hotel room and started to plan a new life... _

Molly blinked out of her trance as she sat on the bench and watched her son carefully as he sat in the sand pit with another child, playing with X-men figurines, the other boy's mother sat on the opposite side of the park, quietly comforting a baby girl in a pram whilst simultaneously knitting booties.

Her life had slowed down, revolved solely around Jack and everything he wanted or needed. Love had been inconceivable to her: the idea, understanding it and finally acquiring it for someone, had been all but impossible for her, until now. She did not love Jack per se, but felt that, in a few more months or years, she could truthfully say "I love you," to him and not hear the profound hollowness resonate back to her. She enjoyed every moment she spent with him, loved talking to him, taking him on walks, telling him stories, playing games in the park with him….everything.

Jack quickly looked over his shoulder towards her, Molly waved and smiled, once again Jack's face lit up, his blue eyes glistening with a beam; everything about him was innocent, everything about him was beautiful and wonderful.

The air stirred, crinkled golden leaves tumbled across the tarmac and piled up against the cold metal railings, the sun disappeared behind tumescent, stern clouds and Molly glanced up and slipped her sunglasses back into her pocket. Winter approached with a solemn promise of longer nights, longer fights, more plotting, more danger and Molly shuddered, she had turned her back on that world for her son, but it seemed, even more than ever before, that the intrepid evenings called to her, coerced her into back alleys and Vampire ridden nightclubs, briefly tugging her through brothels and drug dens and back onto the safe streets of Tongham.

Tongham was the furthest thing from a city, it consisted of estates, parks, a couple corner shops, a small bakery, a café and a jewellers. Unfortunately, Tongham was simply an island in a sea of chaos, outside of Tongham lay Ash, Ash Vale and Ash Green, Tongham was circled by bulging towns of culpable humans and, funnily enough, a rapid growing population of vampires. Though, none of the vampires dared step foot within Tongham, or, if they were foolish enough to step within Molly's domain she blew off their legs and gutted them like fish, leaving the dusty remains on a landfill only two miles south of Tongham. She'd lived as a human mother for two years now and had only killed four vampires, her ruthless bloodthirsty side screamed for blood and death but her caring maternal side was dominant and instead she stayed on the bench, watching her son as he walked towards Molly and showed her a bizarrely malformed acorn.

"How queer," Molly chortled, "put that in your pocket and we'll get back home, alright? I've been preparing a special meal for us tonight,"

"What?"

"It's a special surprise, Jacky," Molly lifted him up into her arms, briefly waving to the mother opposite her and walked him with the comforting weight in her arms. Jack buried his face in her neck, his soft black locks tickling her jaw as his hand rested on the coarse material of her blue over-coat and then drifted down to a large black button and picked at it absent-mindedly.

"Jack?"

"Mm,"

"Are you happy?" Molly asked in all seriousness as her mind wondered and argued that perhaps all this was a show and really he knew that Molly wasn't his real mother and that his parents were dead- dead because she didn't get there in time.

"Un-huuh, very. I like my acorn." He pecked her on the cheek and returned his head to her shoulder, Molly chuckled, it hadn't answered her question enough but it softened her enough to put a full smile on her lips and a wrinkle at her nose. They reached their close, Chester Close and headed towards a small maisonette, the black paint peeling pleasantly on the door, the number 6 slightly wonky and rusted.

"I'm happy too, Jack," Molly whispered as she opened the door and sat him down on a sofa nearest the door, where he slumped and closed his eyes for a short nap before dinner, she draped a crocheted blanket over him and turned on the gas fire before stepping into the petit kitchenette and preparing Jack's favourite- Lasagne and salad.

She was a murderer and as a cold-blooded murderer she needed to kill again, needed to destroy something wicked and evil to make the last two years seem more worthwhile. She'd locked all the windows and front door and left, only for a moment, to get a new loaf of bread from the corner shop only to find the shutters down early and not a sound coming from within. She frowned and carried on walking past the pub and up the street, flinching as the harsh street lighting got brighter with each step and then darkened as she walked on. The roads were almost completely silent, the biting winter wind sliced through her coat and groped at her frigid flesh.

The next corner shop was open, but she smelt vampire as soon as she entered, could smell the new deaths clinging to their parkas and tracksuits. A tall chavved up youth turned his head lethargically towards the door, his pale face only accentuated by the red and blue circles around his eyes, his bleached hair stood up in spikes, the keychain at his hip on his tracksuit rattled and his friends followed his gaze, a despicable medley of slags, chavs, yobs and thugs. The group seized up upon seeing her, each one painting the same sneer on their faces as she proceeded through the shop without a blink and picked up a loaf of bread and stood behind them apathetically. She could hear their thoughts, knew that the morning radio would announce the atrocious murder of a whole family on Sycamore Avenue, the two children drained completely of blood, the parents and older sibling would be announced as barbarically mutilated and emotionally tortured by the deaths of the children- their mouths would be petrified into the blood-chilling 'o' of a scream.

The tall, red-eyed vampire turned around and glared at her, a tart quickly appearing at his elbow with the same look on her face, "So you're the bitch tha's been killin' me mates." the thug whispered coldly. Molly blinked into his face unabashedly and sighed, finally answering with a bored and prolonged: "Mmm, though I can't say they kept me entertained for long, you are all the same- weak and easily broken-" the thug's arm whipped out the backslap her, but Molly, knowing his thoughts immediately, had him sprawled on the floor before her in half the time it had taken for him to raise his arm. Molly shook her hand clenching and unclenching her fist repeatedly as two other male vampires advanced, the shop assistant ran into the back and called for his dad.

"I won't have fighting in here! Get the fuck out of my shop!" Came the piercing shriek of the shop assistant's mother, the father standing behind her brandishing a cricket bat.

"You heard my wife, stop fighting or I'll call the police and bash your heads in!" The first vampire picked himself off the floor and dusted himself down slowly, turning his deep-set eyes onto the man with a slight sneer.

"S'alright, John, we're only fuckin' around. C'mon, pay the boy and let's piss off, yeah?" A broader youth slapped a handful of coins and a note onto the bench and picked up the magazines, leading them all out of the shop. The first vampire paused in the doorway, looking at his nikes before looking up and watching Molly, "Don't think y'll get away with fuckin' us up, M, this ain't ya territory and y'll get fucked up just as bad as y' tried fuckin' us up- y'fucked if y' try anything, y' get me?" Molly's hand slipped to her gun, her fingers tapping the barrel of the 1911 in such a way that he would hear the low noise but neither the shop owners or the CCTV cameras would register she was carrying a gun. She raised her eyebrows and pulled her hand away with a cold look of complacency on her face.

"That's 'ow it's gonna be?"

"It would seem so, you piece of hell's filth." Molly turned her back on the thug and paid the shop assistant, a small smile on her lips, "Sorry about that, James."

"Look, we don't care what you get up t' in your spare time, just think twice before comin' in here again, yeah?" The woman whispered, slowly making her way back upstairs, her husband remaining downstairs in case of any more trouble. Molly shrugged, taking the bag given to her and left, the sudden shock of cold air hitting her hard, but she didn't return home, she could hear the gang of youthful vampires and knew they would strike again, if not tonight then tomorrow and she couldn't let that happen….but, similarly, the monster inside of her wanted their blood, wanted their deaths.

She killed them, of course, leaving a message to all the chipped vampires within Ash Vale that Molly had officially expanded her territory and she would not take anymore shit. The taste of blood on her tongue and satisfaction that tingled throughout her whole body kept her tense and implanted thoughts of taking over Ash Green and then Ash and on and on….killing every freak and vampire until the world was clean of the shit they smeared across an otherwise happy and beautiful world.

The front door was open. The lights she had left on inside were off. The stench of blood and death clung to the ceiling, the walls, the floor, the furniture- everything. Molly's heart picked up a human pulse, her anger and fear and repulsion and hatred growing with each step she took into the flat until she found four vampires lounging in her room, sitting on the blood-stained double bed whilst smoking. "Look who finally showed up, we exhausted the kid hours ago, didn't we, Patrick?" The stockier of the group said with a chuckle. A woman sitting between two men stood up to reveal the lifeless form of Jack. Molly screamed in anger as the group laughed and she pounced onto the nearest figure ripping into his throat, breaking his shoulders and ribs in the process. The last three grabbed onto her and hammered their fists into her body, finally Molly relinquished her hold upon the dying corpse and the stockier man grinned, "I'm glad we've caused you pain, Molly, you killed our brothers and that caused us pain and now…if you don't mind…"

"Alec, just bloody kill her!" The woman spat, sneering at her. Molly lunged forwards, the animal within her writhing an rearing its ugly head, the power behind it working into her muscles as she fought the remaining trio hard. After a few more moments, she had branded them all, though she would curse herself for merely branding them later, and was about to start killing them only for Alec to grab her around the waist and drag her away again. Usually, Molly would have killed all of them by now, but the large kill and blood had made her sluggish, not to mention the emotional pain and dreadful flashbacks of her mother's untimely demise. Alec pulled out a large knife and stabbed her in the stomach, quickly dragging the blade across her whole abdomen and throwing her unceremoniously into the blood soaked floor.

"Come on, Shelley, let's get out of here,"

"She's still alive!" She shrieked one hand holding her cheek, waving her remaining arm around angrily. Alec grabbed the body of the boy and threw it down next to Molly as her stomach streamed dark red blood.

"This is probably the worst way of killing her; she will die slowly and painfully beside the crumpled corpse of her son." Alec gestured for them to follow him and they left, leaving the front door open, the cold evening air circulating around the maisonette cruelly as Molly slipped in and out of consciousness.

She opened her eyes to the sunrise and dragged herself across the carpeted floor and into the living room, one arm pushing down hard onto her stomach and she was thankful of the kill she had performed hours before, that being the only thing keeping her alive. She knocked the sewing box off of the dining table and shakily threaded the needle, stitching herself up calmly as tears prickled her eyes. She could see one of her son's feet in the doorway and bile rose up her throat, "My baby," she sobbed, still stitching.

She slumped against the dining table leg and dragged herself through the kitchen, a blood trail still following her into the small garden where she finally managed to pull herself up with the help of a picnic table and stumbled towards the shed, wrenching the door open to collect a large rucksack and quickly change into her emergency clothes, mournfully discarding the small emergency clothes for her son.

She had killed his parents, saved him and then finally killed him too. She hated herself, glanced at the botched needlework at her stomach and wondered, for a single moment, what would happen if she just tugged it back open again and lied down on the floor and fell asleep. She wondered whether hell would truly be terrible or if she could stomach it. She blinked, sneering at herself and throwing the rucksack over her shoulder, new-found energy pulsing throughout her body as she stormed out of the shed and through the garden door and onto the streets….

Home called her and she was sure Barnibus would look after her, care for her for a while until she felt herself….not this strange, suicidal, maternal…._human._

**Molly:**

I took a shaky breath and told my Saviour, my friend and colleague, the last of the story:

"_As the sun set, I descended into my mother's quarters- a separate part to the three-part wine cellar I had come to know as His and my mother's resting places- and I had shown her the evidence of my beating, of his abuse: the bruises and sprained wrists, the bruises woven into my torso. I told her what he had done to me, what he had made me do to him, how his fingers had twisted into my hair and forced me down, each moment I breathed was emotional agony. And she would reply: 'No, my Master would never harm my Baby,' and I would have to say over and over and over again, describe over and over again the horror of what I had performed- like a whore I had obeyed him, if not to escape him faster. _

"'_Anais, you cannot expect me to believe he would do that to you, you are like a daughter to him,' and with those words she had made the pain all the more unbearable. We were not safe and mother would never understand why. I forced her back into her coffin, scolding my own mother's shoulder with the pendant she had given me to protect me against evil, and I had felt the burn upon my flesh as I would if I a had scolded myself. I locked her in, resting a crucifix upon the top to impede her liberation of her _dear, loving _master._

"_I had stepped towards his coffin fearfully, images of the previous night replaying in my head over and over and over..._

"_The top opened and his head was right there, his eyes turned to me and, Lord, I remember it so vividly, his mouth turned into his kind smile and he had asked: 'Anais, My Cherub, why do you hold that crucifix? It cannot be good for you, drop it immediately, I wouldn't want anything to hurt you.' Yes, those were the exact words he had used and I had replied with such a tremor in my voice I wasn't completely certain it was my own. 'You care not for me, you care for nought but yourself, and your selfishness and cruelty has led you to this exact moment,' _

"'_Cherub, if you think that will kill me, you underestimate me, I have drunk the wine of the Gods, you cannot kill those who have tasted such nectar- stab me, impale me, hang me, burn me and each time I shall come back and reap my revenge upon your body tenfold- would that please you?'_

"_My hands were trembling, tears building up in my eyes as I remembered the feel of Thierry's throat beneath my hands, his bones breaking beneath my possessed fingers and I remembered the complete indifference as He had loaded the body in the cart and had taken both _it_- for there was no life in it now- and myself to the fields behind the house and dropped the body there, telling me to dispose of it as I saw fit. I could remember his cheerful whistling as he had walked away. I had looked upon that body for hours until I ran back to the house and implored him that I might not have to dispose of such perfection._

"_That rage returned and I realised that it had not been a monster of myself that had ruined his perfection, our love, but His own hand. My hands dropped the crucifix as he commanded and he gestured for me to come to him and I had walked to him and- _

"_'I am so glad you chose me over that sack of human waste, I would be a better lover than him, have no fear, but first may I drink your blood, Anais? Might you let me drink a little?' Anger swelled and the connection he had created that evening so many evenings ago snapped and was severed and there she was- the woman you see before you now, the woman who would stop at nothing for vengeance and justice. She had broken him, locked him in his coffin, poured pitch around the room, cackling cruelly as she skipped around, pouring pitch over the wine bottles and stopped dead as she turned around and watched as the fire slithered so suddenly across the walls, the fluctuation in heat so sudden it made her choke. _

"_She grabbed onto her mother's coffin and dragged it up the stairs, her mother's fear and pain and sorrow swelling within the four walls and her own chest- as there was a connection between mother and fiend- and her mother had punched at the wood until her hands were a twisted mess. _

"_Anais reappeared some twenty miles out of Paris on a cart with her mother's somnolent coffin in the back and I had driven it as far away as possible, not allowing my own mother out for two days for fear that she might kill me for killing her lover, her master. _

"_It was a month later and we had started renting a small cottage in a farming village and I had joined them during the day, cutting the corn- as was customary- and ignoring the advances made by the lewd males working the fields alongside me. Mother said it best that we go for a walk, by this time she had forgiven me and we were a family again, and we walked in the opposite direction we usually did for a change and there He was. Mother was infatuated still and complied to his orders, but I would not listen. _

"_That is where I met Barnibus. Barnibus was a poor vampire He had supped off of and made as his own- his own slave- and Barnibus had regretfully fettered me and we were taken to the monster's new home. Just as the old mansion, it was so cluttered with gold and silver and gems and those pointless pieces of art that I gagged a little, though, naturally, after the revolution it was best not to draw attention to the fact that he was a noble, and it was a terrace house on the outskirts of Paris on la Rue a-la Nort- a main road that ran straight up to Calais. _

"_I was punished severely, beaten until I was within an inch of death and then he had locked me in my own coffin and damned me to solitude. I do not know whether he had been lying then, but he told me, as he removed the nailed down lid and regarded my withered, starved form with some delight, that I had been fettered for some eight months, that it would take months for me to regain my strength and in that time he would return me to the coffin. And so my existence went on for two or three years, the darkness, the hunger and starvation, the stench of my own skin as it started to rot and the look upon his despicable face as he saw me each time, a shadow of my former self. _

"_For some reason, he went away and left Barnibus with the task of locking me back up, but the caring vampire would not allow it, he allowed me freedom, let me drink from him to regain my strength that much faster and had hunted with me until I was myself again, well and pulsating with vengeance. It was then that I started to trust him, and to do so was quite a step for me even then! _

"_We conspired together, all three of us, and we left again- and again, and again and again... _

"_Of course, each time he caught us again, the final capture being...1938? I forget. But you have seen this memory, we were all separated and locked in that Asylum, wherein we were all experimented on, tested to the extremes-"_

"I may have misconstrued what you said at Llewenden-Murray Labs, but...there was rape involved, wasn't there?" My face paled and I bit my tongue to expel the sudden impulse to scream. I nodded timidly. "Was it often?" Alucard asked, his voice hollow, his eyes darkening and I frowned, knowing a look like that from so many other haunted occult beings- he was suppressing the memories that attempted to haunt him still to that very day.

"If I'm going to be entirely honest I cannot remember exactly. They had me on so many drugs and there were many diseases that for the most part of those sessions I was completely delirious- a godsend, probably, though incredibly disorientating. I can only remember snippets, and even those snippets are disjointed from my repeated suppression and the moments after, where they would sit beside me and act the loving figure, or redressed or the moments after the door closed and I realised what had just happened and looked to myself to see more evidence of my mutilation- bruises, blood, bite marks."

"Was Maximus the only one?" He asked. I shook my head.

"He thought I never knew, thought the sedatives would stop me from remembering, but towards the end- the end of my tether- He would come into my cell and violate me, it became worse every night, the other orderlies seemed to realise his sordid fancies and followed suit. Sometimes, if I was lucky, after four or five, my body would turn numb- not at all like pushing ice-cube to the flesh, more a sensation wherein your mind goes numb. Eyesight is blurred, the beatings were no more even as the blurred figure continued and I was out of myself, watching it replay with no interest-and, indeed, even the realisation of that part of my psyche was numbed to it all."

"I think I know what you mean," Alucard answered stiffly, his gaze wondering over to the fireplace and his lips parting a fraction of an inch to show the suppressed snarl of memory, the jagged rocks that lingered on the periphery of everyone's mind, ready to dash a thought upon a rock, to strand it- to strand you. I regarded him now with a sudden inkling that he really might know what I meant, I yearned to slip into his mind as he did mine so freely after the event at the Ritz; perhaps his thoughts would enlighten me to his masked sorrow.

"I believe that you do, my Red-Clad fiend," I breathed, his gaze returned to my eyes, to the present, and I cleared my throat to voice a worry that could not wait any longer. "I shall speak frankly now, Alucard," I sighed, standing up to visit my favourite place, the window, and watch the world as I had done for many a forgotten and remembered century.

"The air is still rotten, my friend, death and deceit clings to it like an infant to its parent, the wind is bitter, the floral scents the putrid reakings of privet and other vulgar smelling shrubs..." I paused, realising that perhaps my repetitive descriptions would sound ridiculous after a few more moments, "in short, my companion, I am uneasy- do you no feel it too?" I span abruptly, hoping to see some tell-tale sign of his unease, but I was instead confronted with his torso; his hands, I was sure, darted back to his side, though it was too fast for my eyes to follow.

"Molly, your qualms are probably justified, Maximus is a slippery bastard and I have expected some kind of back-up plan, but this I will welcome with open arms, I like the thrill of the fight-"

"So I have gathered, my friend, so I have gathered. But perhaps, even you have need to be uneasy- I sense a prolonged battle, a fight to the death and back and I know, I just know, that the events within this new plan will be so gruesome and disgusting that I may need to incline my head ever-so slightly."

With that, another wave of death and deceit slithered under the window, somehow seeped through the brickwork and clung to me, warping me, twisting my blood into demonic sludge that bayed for death.

_Narrative:_

_The next memory was so much better than the last, but it was too cruel! Too hideous! Oh, what the hell? He'd replay it in his mind anyway. Gustav had been bound to him then and she had been taken to a separate room having killed everyone else in her shared cell and he had made Gustav go to her that evening. By then she seemed to have turned into some animal, though an animal struck with a series of nasty illnesses. She had been suffering from Cholera at the time, though she suffered from it in such a unique way. _

_She was running such a high temperature that she was sweating every molecule of water out of her body, he could remember feeling her temperature with his hand two or three inches from her skin, quite obvious she was delirious, writhing in agony after throwing up blood and anything else. _

_He'd made Gustav sit down next to her first, he ran his hands through her thickly matted and neglected hair, had ran his fingers over her bare, scarred beyond recognition, back; the blouse was now backless from an orderly's beating and seeing the blood smeared flesh and deep welts made him feel fulfilled- surely she would give in soon and ask for him?_

_She'd been too out of it to really understand what was going on until the end; then had she made a fuss, lashing out like an exhausted animal before collapsing against the bench and falling into unconsciousness. Gustav had checked her temperature as he had watched through his new son's eyes at her sleeping form, mentally ordering her to call out for him, because as soon as she said his name he knew she would truly obey him. It wasn't a hard name after all, quite simple, easy to remember, successful sounding and now one of the names on the tip of every bio-engineers' tongue._

_He'd never beat around the bush; he loved his unlife, and loved himself. That's why his mouth was spread into one of the largest grins possible as a pale reptilian creature ripped his son- no, _assistant_- apart, the unimpressed figure beside her helping every now and then as she roared at the bloodied figure, and he'd never realised how righteous she was- perhaps that was a new development and, if it was, he would have to study that in full detail. _

_The vampire looked around the room, directly at the camera, his lips curled over his teeth as he spat venomously, "-he can hear us." The little redheaded demoness all but exploded, screeching at the top of her lungs as he quickly wrote his answer to her and faxed it, sitting back in the leather chair, the springs squeaking beneath his weight, and pulled his fingers into a steeple below his lip, waiting patiently for her own retort. She snatched up the paper and screeched again and his lips curled into a knowing smirk. _

'_How passionate you've become in the years you've been unfettered to me- supposedly.' _

_He thanked the day he had gotten those blood samples some twelve years ago, even now the stupid bitch who'd given him the blood sample believed him to love her, he scorned her everyday silently for that belief, that wish and hope; how pathetic she was, now a warped husk of what she had been he wasn't even remotely interested and every kiss felt like hell. _

_That first blood sample had had to be put on ice- he'd learnt this from the Asylum- which slowed down the degeneration by a few years, while it would usually take a month to disappear. And in that time he had studied every cell in it, experimented day and night while still only a lowly lab technician. And then his old friend had pulled through, finding out he worked in the company his own company had recently paired with and he had rocketed up into some of the most powerful positions until he stood here now- CEO and Chief Executive Genetic Consultant of the Board. _

_Yes, his name was on the tip of every lab technician and doctor's tongue all over Europe: Paris Erdorfein _

**Look out for 'Twisted Blood Volume Two' should be out pretty quickish. And I do realise that volume one doesn't actually answer all your questions but it gets pretty close XD So, my little chickadees, what have we learnt in this volume? **

**Summary: (those who get it, this may bore you XD) **

**Molly's a demon, she adores Alucard, she adores vengeance, her pimp mysteriously went missing and left her everything. ..(cos pimps are nice like that)**

**She loves children and had been in the process of raising a boy when he was cruelly killed by freaks- who she killed in vengeance and that is how she met Alucard- but whhhhhy did they kill Jack (the baby boy)?To...**

**get back at HER for killing THEIR brothers, and why did she kill those brothers? Because they knew her secret. And what is her secret? Simple, she is a crazy demon who someone is looking for. **

**And why did she kill her pimp? Surely it couldn't've been over a silly thing like his blackmailing her into feigned prostitution (he could easily tell the freaks who were after her where she was)- you'd be wrong if you thought that was the reason, by the way. Phil was a vampire, not a freak, and he had this strange ability where he gets premonitions from**_** seeing **_**someone's blood. When he found out Molly had been drugging her clients into thinking she was sleeping with them he beat her and saw her blood and from that he saw...WHAT DID HE SEE!! (you'll find that out in volume two) **

**Molly smoked him when she found out he'd told a few friends about that and went looking for them. Which is why she was at the Den, to kill Lucas and Peter before they told Maximus, who has connections to, well, everyone. But, of course, she wasn't quick enough, as I'm sure you've already figured out. **

**And the other things we've figured out? The Toxihedrants were never meant for the rich people, they were only meant to make the things we saw in chapter 29 and 30. These infants being made have to grow within a woman who is already pregnant and Maximus' sloppiness led to one of the women getting out and alerting the world to a "disease". The virgins were collected to use the blood to sustain the infants, but why did they want to make babies?? Why not just get jiggy?! We'll see! We'll seeeeeeee!! In volume TWO!! **

**YOWZA! You have NO fecking idea how psyched i am! I'm writing a SUCCESSFUL sequel...I hope... or have I answered too many questions? Damn, I always ruin it. I suck at secrets, so now I feel all free and floaty…ahem.**

Well….sequel should be out soon

Until then- you lot have been great and I hope you have enjoyed!!


	33. Taster of Volume 2

**Twisted Blood Volume 2: **

_**Part One: Behind closed Doors…. **_

Rating for this chapter: T

**Chapter One: Only Fun and Games**

**Alucard**

My eyes opened as the familiar noise awoke me. Again.

Once again, Molly had made herself sick from the nightmares of her past; the sound of retching and liquid hitting a porcelain sink echoed from upstairs. She had been ill every evening since the night she had regained her memories, though I could no longer hear her dreams as I could before, so perhaps it was more a recurring nightmare of her own death that plagued her mind. Either way, she had disturbed me again.

There was no point in laying in the cold embrace of my coffin any longer, I wasn't tired and I'd only get bored laying in there. I stood up slowly, listening out for the usual noise of her curses, but none came instead there came the noise of something being knocked to the ground with a dull thud. I summoned my clothes, the familiar feel of cloth running over my skin awakening my senses as I stepped through the velvet quilts of darkness and entered Molly's room above.

The small dark room was pitch-black save for the light of a single light-bulb suspended over the mirror in the bathroom, the covers on the bed were thrown off in a rush and Molly's scent clung to the fabric of the hangings around the bed and the quilts and even tainted the air with the vague scent of a floral perfume mixed with her own unique smell- that and the even fainter, though unquestionable, scent of her blackened blood.

I pushed the ajar door open to see Molly slumped against the counter, her eyes heavily lidded. "Alucard?" She asked hoarsely, "what are you doing in here?"................................................................................................................................................

**Read on if you daaaaaare! (It's uploaded and waiting duuuuudes)**


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